Girls' Frontline: the Hunt
by ShiragaKizuato
Summary: In this war, they are the Outsider. But when everything spiraled out of control, they are the ones to open the path to victory. The position of the hunter and the hunted is prone to change, but the one known as Predator, is absolute.
1. Chapter 1

**Just downloaded this game like 3 weeks ago and I'm seriously hooked onto the story, so I'm finally taking a jab at this against my better judgement.**

* * *

Griffon & Kryuger Headquarter, Conference room.

A spacious but dimly-lit room, with the only source of light was from the large holographic projector which also doubled as a table. Standing at the very end with his arms crossed, the CEO of Griffon & Kryuger PMC, Berezovich Kryuger shows a stern and stoic expression while being briefed on about the newest report.

"Sir, the report just came in. It's about the T-Dolls unit that has the intel we need. Our recon team has tracked down their distress signal and believe they are in hiding near the border of District S09. Because of recent Sangvis Ferri's activities in that area, they were forced to pull out to avoid open conflict, thus unable to pinpoint the unit's exact location." Standing next to him was a woman with long grey hair and a monocle on her right eye, Helianthus – his personal secretary and second-in-command.

"Are there any Commander currently stationing in the area?"

"None, sir. Most of the new enlists have already been dispatched to support our main force, with the rest can barely be considered novice. To put it simply, we lack both the manpower and the mean necessary to pull off this rescue operation."

"…"

"Then it's time we call them in."

"Sir?" Helian asked back instinctively. Kryuger then entered the search command on the keyboard as the projector switched from the holographic landscape of District S09 to displaying two ID cards of whom she had never seen before. What's more, the two ID cards were stored inside an entirely separate and locked folder, not from the Staff body or any other PMCs affiliated with the G&K.

"They may not be the most well-known in the industry, but when it comes to getting the job done, they're ace among aces."

"And given the situation, they're arguably our ace in the hole."

* * *

In an unknown area, deep underground.

Judging from the surrounding architecture and the signs on the wall, the place seemed to be an old Russia nuclear shelter and base of operation. This place probably had seen better days, yet despite that most of the equipment is still in working condition and there are even traces of someone living down here. Just like anything Russia-made, they're built to last for at least decades.

Since there are only two people living in this massive bunker, partly to preserve energy for other purposes partly because it was unnecessary only the important sectors like the Command Center were working at full power, whereas the rest were running at minimum energy consumption enough to keep them in working condition.

In the Hangar where the combat vehicles for both land and air engagement were being stored, a man lied under the L-ATV doing maintenance while two small drones assisted him with the various tools lying around. In the background, a classical jazz was playing until it was interrupted by the ringing of the internal comms phone.

Noticing that, the man pulled himself out from under the car and wiped the oil off his hands with a towel before walking over to the phone on the wall. He has short dark purple hair, with a tall stature and well-toned muscle but what stood out the most was his left arm. A mechanical arm. With each movement, the alloy surface glinted off the light, making the many scratches and scars visible.

"Hey Chief, we got a new contract." When he picked up the phone, the voice of another man came from the other side of the line.

"What's the content?"

"Retrieval mission. Drop-off point is-" there was a clear sense of hesitation in the other voice before coming to a sudden stop.

"You're not gonna like this Chief."

"What? Don't tell me-"

"Drop-off point is G&K HQ. So…yeah, the client is probably you-know-who."

One could audibly hear the sound of the record being jammed, despite the fact that the music was being played from an iPad.

"Great, what does that old coot want this time."

"Well, only way knowing is to hear it from his mouth."

"Goddamn…Alright, gear up. Let's get this over with and see what he has to say." After much reluctance, the man called Chief finally made his decision. Both then hung up and went to make their respective preparation for the mission.

Half an hour later, District S09.

"So what or who exactly are we supposed to retrieve?" sitting on the co-driver seat, the Chief asked while double-checking on his gears.

"A unit of T-Dolls in hiding somewhere in District S09. Our job is to extract and escort them back to G&K, but 'somewhere near the border' is all the info they have on target's location. The contract also came with an attachment, a triple-encrypted radio frequency specifically for T-Doll's central unit. Probably to let the target know we're sent by their employer and to avoid eavesdropping." On the driver seat, the other man relayed the detail of the mission to the Chief.

Ruffled blonde hair tied back into a low tail. From their sitting posture, nothing much could be said about their height but they both seem to have the same muscle mass with him being a slight bit slimmer.

"Near the border, huh…There's a SF outpost about two klicks ahead. We'll gather more intel from there."

"Roger that."

Even without any prior knowledge about them, with just a glance at their gears and how well-prepared they are, these two are more than just 'know what they're doing'. Shortly 15 minutes later, they have arrived at an abandoned human settlement where the SF outpost should be. Getting out and hiding their car away, the two split out to cover more ground faster.

Donning a lightweight exo-suit, the blonde man swung the huge weapon case over his shoulder with ease and quickly found himself on the roof of a two-stories apartment. He then pulled the ballistic goggles dangling around his neck onto his face and switched on the scan function. It was around 3 in the morning, and with this settlement being abandoned everywhere was a complete blackout, except for one location.

Straight north half a klick away from his current position was what appears to be the town hall. The SF occupying this area must have moved in and repurposed it to be their Command Post. Very dense enemy activity there, along with several troops on patrol. Each troop consisted of two to three Rippers accompanied by a group of Prowlers which shouldn't pose that much of a threat, although the few Jaegers perching on the other roof can be quite problematic.

"Chief, you copy?"

"I copy, go ahead."

"Four patrol troops and three sniper nests, Command Post is half a klick up north with very tight security. Shouldn't be too hard. I'm sending the data over. _Go get'em, Tiger_."

"Data received. _Good hunting, Eagle_."

Ending their comms, the blonde man, alias Eagle flipped open the two locks on his weapon case and pulled out a peculiar looking sniper rifle. A straight-pull bolt-action rifle with a side-mounted magazine but the design does not belong to any known rifle with the same configuration.

Eagle then deployed the bipod and got into firing position. With both the sniper scope and the goggles being digital, they can work in tandem and share the gathered data with each other, enabling Eagle to be both a sniper and his own spotter.

"Now then, let's really get down to work."

* * *

On the ground.

Hiding in the shadow, Chief alias Tiger was waiting for his chance to make a move while checking on the data sent to him. According to the data, there's a total of four patrol troops forming an area 500m in diameter around the Command Post. Since they are consisted of only Rippers and Prowlers, their pattern would be completely monotonous. The moment all the snipers are taken out, he will move.

And as expected of his partner, he works fast. Not even 5 minutes and all three sniper nests have been neutralized. Taking that as his cue, he got out of the building he was hiding in and made his way toward the Command Post.

With Eagle as the sniper and scout, Tiger took on the role of the infantry. To compliment for his role and his preference of being up close and personal with his enemy, he was cladded in a full-armor exo-suit and sporting the Origin-12 shotgun. Covering his face was a black visor with six sensors, three on each side where the eye should be. The entire visor serves the same purpose as Eagle's digital goggles, scanning and keeping tab on the changes of the surrounding environment, with the data gathered being displayed in a form similar to a HUD.

Under the cover of the night, Tiger moved swiftly from one cover to another, making nary a sound even when wearing full heavy armor. When he was only 10m away from the Command Post, he quickly got to an elevated position to scan the building.

Large group of Rippers and Vespids guarding the perimeter, with several more on the second and third floor. A single mistake even smallest can and will put this place under red alert, and things could only go downhill from there. Luckily, their 'eyes and ears', the snipers had already been taken out in advance and they still have the element of surprise.

"I'm going in. Eagle, are you in position?"

"Peeking right over your shoulder, Tiger. Already got my target, too."

Tiger then stored the gun on his back and switched to a combat knife. Climbing over the wall, he crouched down and approached a group of two Rippers. Grabbing one the Ripper by her face, a strong electrical shock was released from his mechanical arm, frying her CPU immediately. He then followed up with the knife and stabbed the other Ripper right in the center of her chest, where the Core should be.

At the same time, Eagle was watching another unit of two Rippers and one Vespid moving toward Tiger's position. Keeping his breathing and heartbeat in check, he waited patiently for his chance. And there it is, when the unit came around the corner, one of the Ripper and Vespid was perfectly lined up.

Shot fired, the AP round cleanly pierced through the Vespid's CPU and the Ripper's Core, with the remaining one also got taken down with a knife to her chest before she could even react. Such synergy and precision.

Just like that, more than half the perimeter guard along with ten Vespids inside the Command Post were eliminated in the span of ten minutes. Right now, Tiger was hijacking into their main computer to find any intel that could prove useful in pinpointing this unit of T-Dolls.

"Got something. Record shows a fire fight broke out two days ago in an old industrial area just south of here. From the map, it looks rather big so plenty of place to hide there."

"Yeah, but there should be a search party in that area right now. Even if our target is hiding, we need to hurry."

All data of importance was downloaded and the coordinate of the industrial area was sent over to Eagle. They go the intel they need, and the enemy have finally noticed that something was amiss with their network so it's high time they make themselves scarce.

"You go on ahead, something about these data still bugs me."

"Got it. Don't go too wild now, Chief." Eagle then ended the comms and made his way back to the car. Just as he left, Tiger then also escaped from the building and followed another set of coordinate to a 'storage' hidden somewhere in this settlement.

"What else was you bastard hiding here…"

* * *

District S09, southern industrial area.

Arriving at the destination, Eagle stopped the car and began tracking down the target. Through his goggles, all kind of tracks became clear as day, even the ones that were intentionally erased could not go by unnoticed. But, how can he know which track to follow if they are littered everywhere? The trick to that is quite simple, really. It's knowing the differences.

For ease of production cost, SF's T-Dolls are mass-produced from the same mold with each classification differ slightly from each other in armament, like the Ripper and Vespid. Whereas their target, the G&K T-Dolls or just any normal T-Dolls are their own unique entity. So what he needs to follow, are footprints that stood out from the rest.

Indoor combat would be unavoidable here, so this time he brought along with him the OTs-03.

The footprints led him deeper into the industrial area, and after a while he came across the scene of the fire fight from two days ago, along with the SF search party currently scouting the area. Three Jaegers, and a shitload of Dinergates.

From one of his pouch, he pulled the pin of two EMP grenades and lobbed them at the Dinergate swarm, taking out all of them instantly. The Jaegers then turned around to intercept, but the moment they managed to bring up their rifle, he had already put a bullet each in their head.

Just like with the footprint, he continued looking for tracks that stood out from the rest, and finally knelt down to pick up a spent cartridge.

"7.9 Kurz, an AR." When he scanned the cartridge, the track led toward the building just up ahead of him. Talk about hidden in plain sight. After making sure that there is no hostile left in the vicinity, he intruded himself into the building, and as expected the host wasn't very welcoming

"I wouldn't take another step if I were you." From the shadow, a girl with dark purple hair done in twin braid stepped out with her run readied. An Ingram MAC-10, she must be one of the T-Dolls they're tasked with retrieving. Her clothes were rather torn and the skin on several parts had started falling off, revealing the mechanical structure inside.

"Are you the G&K T-Doll who sent the distress signal?" Eagle asked.

"What's it to you?"

"Your boss sent us to bring you back." He then reached into his chest pocket and took out an earpiece with the encrypted radio frequency downloaded into it.

"To believe me or not, you can decide that after contacting them. Now I'll leave this here on the ground and step outside because whatever your boss wanted to say, they clearly didn't want anyone else hearing it. My car will be waiting for you just outside so take your time." Eagle then turned around and when he was about to leave, glanced back over his shoulder.

"And you can tell the other two it's fine to let down their weapon now." His words caused the two in hiding to unconsciously let out a groan of surprise, for they were sure that their cover was perfect. The dark purple haired girl was also dumbstruck, but she ignored the other two and picked up the earpiece. When placed on her ear, the frequency then transmitted itself into her CPU and after finding a match signal, communication was finally established with G&K.

* * *

Outside of the industrial area.

Returning to the car, Eagle lit a cigarette while he waited for the G&K unit. The column of smoke rose up into the sky, even when the wind caused them to sway, they persisted and continued to rise higher and higher. The clock ticked 5:03 and the carpet of night had slowly made way for the first light of day.

It was then, when the G&K unit approached him. The girl who confronted him just now walked in front, with two other walking behind, a girl with pink hair also done in twin braids albeit longer who was supporting another girl with long blonde hair due to her leg not working well.

"Just now you said 'us', but I don't see anyone else." The girl, named Ingram after her gun, asked from the back seat.

To gain better affinity and greater efficiency, the system called ASST was developed by the 16LAB, allowing a Doll to 'bond' with the weapon, achieving complete mastery over it. But to put it bluntly, the moment a Doll was given a gun, they have taken up the name of their gun and forsook the old one, they themselves have become the weapon.

"He's taking care of the SF outpost occupying this district. We'll be picking him up on the way back to your G&K HQ." Eagle then hit the pedal and started driving. For the whole ride, the trio said nothing more and stayed quiet. Probably because they still haven't trusted him yet, but when he looked into the rear view, all three were already sound asleep. Letting out a small sigh, Eagle then took extra care to not run into the bumpy part of the road. Then after stopping by the settlement to pick up Tiger, the two set off to G&K HQ.

"So, what else did you find, Chief?" when Eagle asked, Tiger showed him a small data disk.

"Something big. Pretty sure this data is what he really expected from this mission."

"Well, if you think about it, it probably wasn't on a whim that we were contracted. He knows how we move, he knows the way we work, he knows we will more than get the job done. Scary how he knows about us more than we do ourselves."

"Goddamn old coot, if you want people to work give them the intel that they can actually work with." Tiger grunted before shoving the disk back into his pocket.

The sun had risen up from behind the horizon, the car kept rolling on the road and the return of the T-Dolls unit was welcomed by the dawn of a new day. When the clock ticked 6:15, they have finally arrived at G&K HQ.

"Looks like they're back, and right on time, too." From the longue on the third floor, Kryuger said after seeing the L-ATV coming into the courtyard.

"Sir, if I may ask, just who are they exactly? How do you know we can trust them?" Standing next to him, Helian asked, still unsure just who exactly are these two men, if even the boss of the world most renowned PMC held them in high regard.

"We don't. Trust is relative. What we do know, however, is that they're not our enemy. An independent unit, unaffiliated with any PMC, move in accordance to only their own creed and principle, just like beast on the hunt."

"And the name they stood by, the name known to only a few, was..."

**Chapter 1: Predator Unit (Part 1)**

* * *

**So, as mentioned, against my better judgement of should not write two series at once, here we are.**

**After the next chapter, I'll continue with AL then the update will be one chapter of each.**

**Hope you had a good read, and since I'm still fairly new to the story, feel free to send me feedback either in the review or PM if I've got something wrong about lroe and stuff.**


	2. Chapter 2

Safely returning to G&K HQ, the T-Dolls unit was immediately transferred to the lab for repairs. Eagle then stayed behind with the car while Tiger went to hear what their 'client' wants from them, exactly.

Entering the building, he headed for the reception desk to ask for Kryuger's current whereabouts, but that proved to be unnecessary for the man himself had found him first. The head of the company coming down to meet someone personally, such rare event instantly got the attention of all the staff in the longue, both human and T-Dolls alike.

"It's been a while, Tiger. Or should I call you 'Streiter' just like the old time?" Kryuger greeted, but Tiger said nothing and simply threw the data disk at him, which he easily caught.

"Next time, you want something you say the word instead of being all secrecy."

"Whether I did or did not, you two would have done it still."

"That's exactly what gets on my nerve about you. Now if this contract is just an excuse for a pointless conversation then I'll take my leave."

"Not here, we'll discuss said matter in my room."

The trio then took the elevator to the top floor. It took a while for the elevator to go all the way up, and during said period neither side said anything to each other. The atmosphere was tense and heavy, to the point even Helian who was already used being under pressure felt like suffocating.

The entire top floor is reserved exclusively for the company's head, so Kryuger had everything renovated to his taste. The first thing that came into sight when they exited the elevator was his workplace, a large office desk and a tea table for the sofa set when there's guest. On the left was the kitchen and personal living quarter, and on the other side was the workout longue, completed with a shooting range.

"So, what is it that you wanted to discuss?" Tiger was getting so impatient that he decided to stand instead of taking a seat.

"First, let's take a look at the data you've gathered, because if it's exactly what I think it is, then it will have everything to do with our discussion." The tea table in the middle then flipped over, turning into a holographic projector. Kryuger inserted the disk from his desk as the data inside was displayed.

"This is…" Helian had her mouth agape.

"Do you know what this is?" Kryuger directed his question at Tiger.

"Why wouldn't I. This damn thing was a Level 0 classified project. Jupiter Cannon, Germany's response to World War 3. But with the rise in popularity of T-Dolls in the army and their cheaper operation cost, development was stopped halfway, the only prototype was scrapped and the project was sealed forever. But never did I expect SF to get their hand on the data. What, they wanted to kick-start another World War with this thing?"

"Possibly. We know that SF is bent on dominating the world with AI and getting rid of mankind, we just don't know if they have the necessary resources and power to pull it off yet. And this data certainly suggest they do, or at least very close to."

"To counter this threat is G&K PMC's first and foremost mission. However, we lack the manpower to effectively combat them. District S09 is one such case. Now, we cut to the chase."

"A long-term contract. I want your unit to serve as adjutant and combat advisor for District S09, which is currently lacking a Commander."

"Rest assured, your unit will retain its unaffiliated status and will not be placed under G&K's High Command. Outside of providing assistance during operation, you're free to move and act as you deem fit."

"It sounds like you just had everything, even this whole conversation, planned from the start. Oh wait, it's you so never mind." Standing there quietly, listening to everything up till now, Tiger scratched the back of his head for he felt frustrated and angry at himself. The sudden contract, the data disk, even taking into account the way they work, everything was such an obvious set-up for this, and he fell right into it even after realizing what it was.

"However, right now we have a more pressing matter at hand so until everything is sorted out, you can think it over carefully. Payment will be sent to your account and we will notify you of your next mission once the is done recuperating."

"Oh, now I'm just your water boy, aren't I?"

"The contract did state to bring back the T-Dolls unit, and the missing T-Doll is indeed a part of this unit so I don't see anything wrong here."

"Whatever, can it." Grunting one last time, Tiger spun on his heel and walked straight to the elevator. With only the two of them left in the room, Kryuger leaned back on his chair and muttered something.

"The flame inside you still burn very strongly, Streiter. All it needs is a little something to set everything ablaze."

* * *

"You're back, Chief. And…guess the talking didn't end well if your expression is of any indication." Returning to the car, Eagle who just finished his second cigarette asked.

"The worst possible." Tiger then relayed everything during their talk to Eagle, with a few cursing thrown in-between. From the data disk, to the offer of being adjutant and combat advisor.

"Combat advisor, huh? Not like we've never taken contract like this before, and most time they all ended satisfactorily, if I may add. But that was what, 7, 8 years ago? After that one time, everything was but a sour taste in our mouth." Said Eagle, reminiscing about the days long, long ago.

"That has nothing to do with any of this. We've tied all the loose ends, we've picked all the bones needed picking, we've finished the mess that we started." Tiger replied, slamming his fist lightly on the car.

"Yet after all is said and done, a single thorn remained and till this very day, it's still a pain." The two became dumbfounded by their own words and dazed out of reality for a brief moment. Tiger was the one to snap back first as he got into the car and closed the door. Feeling that this is one such moment when the guy need some peace and quiet for himself, Eagle also hopped back onto the driver seat and their conversation ended there. He too needs to recollect his thought.

The two returned to their base, grabbed some rations for breakfast and spent the day just doing their own things. The underground base which was usually quiet, that day felt even quieter than usual. Then when afternoon came, so did their new mission.

* * *

District S10, Sector 4.

"We meet again, Mr Tiger. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Helianthus, a senior representative of G&K. For this mission, I'll be filling you in on the mission-essential information. Now, I'll explain the mission details so please pay attention."

"Yeah, that sounds dandy and all, but how about you explain to me first why are they here?" with a really disturbed expression which Helian could not see for they walk conversing through radio, Tiger asked about why the T-Dolls they rescued are here with them.

"It was both Mr Kryuger's suggestion and their wish to partake in this mission. But there's a plausible reason behind it."

"Which is?"

"We have a currently MIA T-Doll, VZ-61 Skorpion, who we suspect might have fallen into enemy hands. Her last known location is where you are right now, Sector 4 of District S10. According to Ingram, she might have left some clues behind for us before going dark."

"Your mission is to assist Ingram's unit in tracking down Skorpion, since they're her comrades they will know what kind of clue to look for."

"Why complicate things even more? Just like before, we work faster with just the two of us and even if we don't know who the missing T-Doll is or the kind of clues she left, it wouldn't make that much of a difference whether they came with us or not." He asked, glancing over his shoulder to see Eagle exchanging bow and greeting with them, didn't seem particularly mind about their presence.

"Mr Kryuger probably has some deeper goal in agreeing to their request, but if I were to choose off the top of my head, it'd be because they wanted to get to their comrade as fast as possible, or they wanted vengeance."

"Anyway, I've wasted enough of your time. Your first objective would be to gather any valuable intel and the best placed to start would be the SF outpost in the area. Good luck, Mr Tiger." Helian then hung up.

"Vengeance, huh. What a big word, with such shallow concept and meaning behind it."

Turning back to the rest, Tiger then urged them all to get into the car and on the way to the SF outpost, he explained the plan to take it on.

His unit will approach the outpost from the front and once they have started a commotion to draw out the enemy, Ingram's unit will move in from the back door to form a pincer attack. Because both units have little to no knowledge on each other nor experience in joint-operation, so a joint-offensive would most definitely result in getting in each other way. In such case, the better strategy would be a pincer attack where both units can act independently without having to worry about their synergy.

"W-wait a minute! Although Ms Helian said to assist us, doesn't mean you should be throwing yourself in danger for us!" The girl with blonde hair, StG-44 protested.

"What, you're trying to be hero for us? Remember, you two are still human so unlike us T-Dolls, there's no backing up data to the main server or repair for you once you've taken critical damage." Ingram sneered.

"This world is always in need of a hero, no matter what age. But it is not our place to become one. We are soldiers, and we carry out our mission the most effective and efficient way possible." His tone made clear that he had made up his mind and nothing else could make him change his mind. The girls were slightly taken aback until Eagle spoke up.

"It's better you ladies listen to him. He's the one making the call around here, and a very stubborn fellow." Feeling that further attempt at persuasion would be useless, they had no other choice but to agree to this plan.

The outpost of this area was a Sangvis Ferri-built from the ground up, so the enemy has the home turf and number advantage over them, not only that the element of surprise won't be of much use here for they cannot set up an ambush like in the human settlement where covers and approach routes are aplenty.

As per the plan, the girls were dropped off in the forest about 100 meters away from the outpost and will wait until the commotion start before initiating combat. Seeing the uneasiness showing on their face, Eagle poked his head out of the window to reassure them.

"We're mercenaries, we come and go as we please and we know how dance with Death. Instead of worrying about us, what you ladies need to do right now is to rescue your friend, and only that."

* * *

Sangivs Ferri outpost, front gate.

Even in the dark of the night, the entirety of the outpost was lit up like a midsummer day by the searchlights. In the courtyard, large groups of Prowlers, Rippers and Vespids could be seen, with at least two Jaegers or so positioned on each watchtower. Their number alone could warrant being called a battalion with the strength to mow down an entire army. But that's their only strong point, strength in number.

Without the alpha leading the pack, the rest could only put up so much resistance before falling apart.

The battle started off with the two Jaegers on the east watchtower being picked off with a single sniper shot. Noticing enemy's activity, the other watchtowers immediately heightened their senses as the base went into red alert. The ground troops quickly got into battle station as the Prowler units were sent out first to intercept possible enemy's infantry. But by the time they got up on their four limbs, from the sky multiple mortar strikes had hailed down on them.

One of those mortar shells must have struck on the base's power unit, evident in the searchlights going offline all at once. With most of the Prowlers reduced into nothing but metal scraps, the ground troops had taken heavy damage and their formation was in shamble. And even with their sensor working at max capacity, the Jaeger unit still couldn't get a lock on to the enemy sniper. All they could do was helplessly getting picked off, one by one.

The situation was a complete chaos, to say the least. This was one of the flaws of mass-produced T-Dolls. Without a commander unit, their reactive ability and communication between each individual is very limited.

Then in the dark of the night, a shadow could be seen by his six red glowing eyes, approaching and taking down any surviving enemy. The Ripper units and the few surviving Prowlers quickly regrouped and opened fire simultaneously toward the direction of those six glowing eyes. It was a literal bullet hell.

After dumping their entire mag, the Prowler then pointed their flashlight on the one on the receiving end of said bullet hell, and the scene that appeared under the light caused them speechless, or their emotionless mechanical equivalent of speechless.

The ground was of course riddled with bullet holes, but in the center of all that was a giant shield, with not a single scratch on that flat metal surface. The shield then bolted forward without any forewarning and bashed the Prowlers along with their flashlight away. Once again, everything was covered in pitch black with the only visible thing being the muzzle flash.

Instead of a fight, it'd be more fitting to call this a one-sided massacre. The SF T-Dolls and machines could not even lay a finger on their opponent, all their attempts to retaliate only make it clear just how futile their resistance is.

* * *

On the other side of the outpost.

With every single stationed T-Dolls mobilized to the front to intercept the enemy, Ingram's unit infiltration from the back was even easier than a walk in the park. The most they had to do was taking out the cameras and destroying the armory. Taking out a few stragglers in Mission Command, they hacked into the main terminal and looked for any records related to Skorpion. And they hit the jackpot.

Skorpion is being held right in this very outpost. The base's schematics showed there are two more levels underground so without any time to lose, they headed for the elevator.

"_Three enemies. I'll take the one on the left."_ Hiding behind the wall, StG-44 said with a hand gesture.

"_Then I'll take the one on the right. Ingram, you take the on in the middle-" _Pah-Pah-sha replied but Ingram completely ignored them and pulled the pin of her grenade.

"How about we just get straight to the killing!" Her grenade exploded into a smokescreen rendering the Prowlers' ocular sensor useless. Through that smokescreen, Ingram charged forward with abandon, driving her knife right into its eye and dumped an entire mag into its frame. Although slightly taken aback by her sudden impulse, StG and Pah-Pah-sha managed to follow her lead and took care of the other two Prowlers before they have the chance to switch on motion tracker.

"Geez, Ingram! Next time at least give us a warning!" Pah-Pah-sha shouted.

"Didn't I already?" Ingram replied while loading a new mag. She then approached the door of the cell and blasted it open, again not showing any consideration to anyone around her.

Inside the cell, lying on the floor was a girl with blonde hair done in twintails. Hearing the loud noise, she tried to open her eye, her entire body screamed in pain with even the smallest movement.

"Pa…Pah-Pah-sha?"

"It's me, Skorpion. We're here to rescue you."

"Pah-Pah-sha…you're still alive? Am I dreaming?"

"You idiot, do we even dream? Don't worry, it's alright now. C'mon, let's get you out of here." Pah-Pah-sha and StG then helped Skorpion stand up as they moved her to the elevator. Because they were two levels underground, the commotion going on above couldn't quite reach them after they've entered the elevator. And when they've returned to the surface, everything was an eerie silence.

"It's too quiet…Don't tell me…" feeling something was off, Ingram quickly ran to check on the situation in the courtyard. What she saw, was completely beyond the processing capability of her CPU.

"Oy oy, you've gotta be kidding me. Are these two even human?"

With the only source of light being the flame and spark emitting from destroyed machine, what Ingram saw was an entire courtyard filled with T-Doll's corpses and machine's wreck. Each and every single one, down to the last SF troop was completely eliminated. And standing amidst that field of corpses and wreckage, was a single man.

"See? Told you this was the most effective plan given the circumstances." Cladded in his full-armor exosuit with two mechanical arms sprouting out from his back, Tiger turned toward Ingram after noticing her gaze. Then from one of the watchtower, Eagle deactivated his cloaking and appeared out of thin air.

"So you've rescued your friend. Alright, I'll bring the car over and we'll take her back to G&K." he said calmly, as if this scene of carnage is just another commonplace to him. Oh, but it is.

An independent unit, unaffiliated with any PMC, move only in accordance to their own creed and principle, just like beast on the hunt.

And the name they stood by, the name known only to a few, was…

**Chapter 2: Predator Unit (Part 2)**


	3. Chapter 3

**It's been so long since the last time I had a writer block, and I do not miss this feeling at all.**

* * *

**Chapter 3: Scarecrow in black and Puppets of war**

* * *

With the successful rescue of the last missing T-Doll, Skorpion, the Predator Unit has officially completed their mission and concluded their contract. After delivering the T-Dolls back to G&K, the two had returned to their base on the same night. In reality both missions took only a day and a half, but mentally they felt it was much longer than that.

There's the offer with Kryuger still. Think it over carefully, he said. He had told Eagle not to accept any new contract for the time being to sort things out and plan the next course of action, but that plan in itself also went to waste when morning came.

"Oy~, Tiger, Eagle! You two home? Hurry and open up or simpler yet, just tell us where you hid the key around here."

"Ask them if they're under the carpet or the potted plant, although I see neither around."

"Ingram, Skorpion! That's not proper conduct when visiting someone's house for the first time! Your attire is all crooked up! Here, let me fix it for you."

"StG, I don't think that's what you should be reprimanding them about…"

Standing in front of the giant blast door, was the T-Dolls unit which had joined them on last night rescue mission. Ingram was slamming her fist nonstop on the internal comms like it was some kind of doorbell, Skorpion looking around for any nook or cranny that could be a potential hiding spot for a key which the door they need to enter required none, StG being her usual self looks and cleanliness comes first and PPSh as the only one with common sense.

Inside the Command Center, Eagle stared at the monitor screen blankly while Tiger was already rubbing at the presence of their visitor.

"Now this is a case of unexpected guest if I ever saw one." Being called while in the middle of his morning hygiene routine, Eagle stated the situation calmly still having a toothbrush in his mouth.

"This place is not supposed to be one to have visitor, expected or not." Having only just woken up because of the siren going off, Tiger stared at the screen with half-opened eyes.

"So, do we just ignore them? They might get bored and go back after a while."

"Doubt so. They don't know the location of this base so the fact that they're here can only mean a certain someone sent them as messenger."

"Good point."

"I'll listen to what they have to say first. Not like I can go back to sleep or do anything else with all this noise." Tiger then stood up and left to open the door. Being left behind, Eagle scratched the back of his head and muttered.

"Guess I'll go with something fancier this time for breakfast then."

* * *

After the giant blast door was opened, the T-Dolls then entered as the elevator took them down to the garage. To the T-Dolls which have only appeared about 30 years back, this was their first time inside an underground base which predated even the world war that they fought in and possibly even their creator, a relic from a time when everything was much simpler. So when the set of light brightened up the place, their eyes flashed with excitement and fascination.

"Ooooooh! This place is freaking huge!" yelled Skorpion in excitement.

"Quite a nice place you got here." Sitting on the handrail and facing away, Ingram said casually while completely ignoring the fact that she was the one who rudely demanded entry.

"And in what shape or form does it looks like a place to have guest?"

"Don't be so stiff now. We're actually here on a mission so think of it as an unofficial meeting rather than having guest over. And while we're on the subject of guest…" Ingram, still sitting on the handrail, then leaned all the way back into an up-side-down posture to look at Tiger who was…topless. In the back Pah-Pah-Sha was already covering her face with both hands, StG didn't know where else to look whereas Skorpion was completely indifferent.

"Is your attire right now really the proper conduct a host should have? Honestly, I know we T-Dolls are modeled after human but at least show some restrain."

"No thanks to a certain someone who keep smashing the comms line like it was a doorbell." Tiger retorted, the veins on his forehead almost popped. Their nonsensical bickering kind of just went on and on and only when Eagle came down to break it up to them did they stop.

Today breakfast, egg toast with ham and black coffee, hot cocoa for the guest.

"Now, you came here on a mission. What kind?" sitting at the table, Tiger took a sip of his coffee and cut right to the chase.

"A new contract, of course. As for the content, Ms Helian will fill you in on that." On the other end, Ingram took out two earpieces and placed it onto the table. Same model as the one given to her during the first rescue mission, with the same triple-encrypted radio frequency but slightly modified to be compatible and accept human's brainwave rather than T-Dolls' central unit.

"She's currently awaiting your contact. Communication will be established once your brainwave is scanned."

Following her instruction, Tiger picked up an earpiece and placed it on his ear. The procedure was immediately carried out as the earpiece scanned for his brainwave, data-referenced with what was installed beforehand and a communication line was established. From the earpiece's integrated projector, a holographic projection of Helian appeared before his eyes.

"Greeting, Mr Tiger. I believe Ingram has already filled you in the basic details."

"She did, but before all that I don't remember requesting a wake-up service."

"Time is of the essence for us so a forceful method was deemed necessary. Now, as for the contract in question. What I'm about to tell you are Level 1 classified information disclosed only to G&K personnel, so please pay attention." The holographic projection then switched to displaying the image of a girl or rather, a T-Doll judging from the strange looking machines floating around her.

"Model SP65 call sign 'Scarecrow'. She's the main target this time. According to the intel we gathered from Skorpion, she knows the specific objective of SF recent attacks on District S09. The goal of this operation is to capture and obtain her memory module. Unlike the previous missions, this time we're facing a Ringleader."

"Basically the SF's equivalence of G&K Commander then."

"Function and authority wise, yes. To put it into perspective, they're like an ant colony with the Ringleader being the queen."

"But even ant can be dangerous when they come at you enmassed, and now even the queen has decided to take matter into her own hand."

"Correct, and this is where your unit comes in. For this mission, your main objective is to act as a guerilla unit, culling down the enemy numbers and when the situation required, provide additional firepower and divert their attention away from G&K troops. Any question?"

"Plenty, but I'll hold back for now. When will the operation begin?"

"The operation will begin at nine sharp. Once you've arrived, we will have one last briefing so I suggest making all the necessary preparation before then and make haste. I'll be seeing you then, Mr Tiger." Communication ended.

"So, what do you think?" having observed for the entirety of the conversation, Ingram's lips curved into a mischievous smirk.

"About?"

"Ms Helian, of course. She may look cold and a little bossy, but is actual a very nice girl. What's more, she's still single."

"Not sure what I'd do with that kind of info."

Finishing his coffee, Tiger stood up to go make preparation for the mission and signaled Eagle to do the same. Many questions hung on his mind, but he had decided to put it all aside for now and focus solely on what's in front. It is a soldier duty to carry out his mission, and it is a mercenary job to fulfill their end of the bargain. However, he will have his answers at the end of all this.

* * *

District S09, G&K Forward Operating Base.

The moment they entered the base's vicinity, they could felt the hustle and tension in the air as the entire staff body, both human and T-Doll alike was busily moving about, carrying out their respective task. A major operation is about to begin so such sight is understandable.

In the main hangar where the briefing will take place, the maintenance crew was performing one final check on the equipment, making sure they are in perfect working condition. On the battlefield, even the smallest detail can make all the difference, sometimes even save one's live so they're working on the double to make sure all their comrades return home in one piece.

Heading inside while trying to cut through the sea of people, they managed to arrive at the briefing on time. Gathering around a large hologram table was about ten other T-Dolls, with Helian being at the very front.

"So you've arrived Mr Tiger, Mr Eagle. And right on time at that. Good, we will now begin the briefing." On her command, the hologram table then displayed the tactical map of the area of operation.

"This is Sector 6 of District S09, where our battle with Scarecrow will take place. There are a total of three locations where we can drop off our Echelons, two to the north and north-west direction near the airport, one just outside the residential area to the south."

"Echelon 1, Echelon 2, you will make your way toward the target from the airport, deal with all occupying force on the way and apply as much pressure to them as possible. Echelon 3, you will take the route through the residential area then await further order from there. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Ma'am!"

"Good. Also, allow me to introduce you all to our support Echelon this time. Mr Tiger and Mr Eagle, they will be joining us as a guerilla unit so count on them when the time comes."

"Looking forward to working with you!" including Ingram's group, a total of fifteen T-Dolls all greeted in unison, completely overwhelmed all the noises around them. Even when their exosuit has a sound dampening function, the duo was still slightly taken aback.

"Alright, all troops move out! Commence, Operation Uproot!"

* * *

8:57, drop-off point of Echelon 1 and 2.

Sector 6, originally an agricultural area under G&K's jurisdiction, after SF's recent attacks the residents had all been evacuated and the place is now completely overrun by their troops. Atop the control tower near the runway where two of the drop-off points are, five Jaegers had set up a sniper nest to keep watch of everything in 1km diameter.

Unlike normal T-Dolls, these things are machines designed to kill in the truest sense. They do not show mercy nor do they take time question their target. If you're registered as an enemy in their database, they will put a bullet in your head at the first chance they get. Still, just like a machine they're good only and only at what they're designed for.

As their guns were trained onto the surrounding, the door gave a small creak and was pushed slightly opened. Without any delay, the five Jaegers turned around and emptied their entire magazine toward the door. The door was instantly shredded into pieces and the Jaegers initiated the reload sequence. At that moment, an EMP grenade rolled into the room and paralyzed all five of them.

The one aspect that SF lose out on normal T-Dolls and especially on a human being, flexibility. For normal T-Dolls, their DigiMind's neuro pattern is unique only to themselves, enabling each doll a certain extent of independent thought and free will. Whereas, SF T-Dolls in favor of quantity over quality utilize a cluster network system where every doll is linked to a central server, typically the Command Post, where feedbacks are sent to and directives are issued from. While this method does allow large-scale coordination and information share between all linked unit, it doesn't change the fact that their patterns are extremely monotonous and easily exploitable.

Pushing what's left of the door aside, Eagle entered the room and took out all five Jaegers with only a handgun. Following that, he dragged one of them next to the terminal and hacked into her CPU through the port on her nape. Using the control tower's antenna to boost increase the search range, he scanned for other SF troops' signal in the surrounding area using the Jaeger's own signal to avoid being retraced.

As expected of an area with a Ringleader presented, security is a lot tighter with most of them setting up ambush rather than going out on patrol. Scanning completed, he then called the choppers in.

"This is Eagle from control tower. Enemy snipers have been neutralized, but there are several troops laying in ambush near the fields and in the storage area just beyond the runway. Sending data over now, will proceed to culling down their number."

"This is Echelon 1, copy that! Thank you for your support."

"This is Echelon 2 approaching the drop-off point. Remember to leave some for us!"

Now that the runway has been cleared off eyes and ears, the G&K can safely land and engage the enemy troops. Now, things will start to get hectic. Climbing onto the very top of the control tower, he laid down and readied his sniper rifle. First target of elimination, the ambush troop in the storage area.

"First target, over about 150m away. Calculating wind speed and bullet drop…"

"Taking shot."

Bam.

Shot fired. The .50 round escaped from the barrel with an ear shattering sound and flew toward its target. Inside a barn on the second floor, a Ripper lying in wait took the shot right between the eyes without even knowing what hit her.

"Remaining targets are on the move, adjusting…Taking shot."

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

A total of six rounds for one magazine, and a total of seven dead Rippers. Reloading a new magazine, he aimed his gun toward the crop field and did the same thing. But this time, the enemy was able to retaliate.

Right after he took the first shot, a flock of Scouts came flying toward him from the barn. With high mobility and always attack in large group, the Scouts are a sniper's worst nightmare. Seeing them coming from afar, Eagle knew that it was his cue to move.

As soon as they were within range, the Scouts simultaneously hailed down a rain of lead on his position. Grabbing onto the roof, he swung himself back into the control room and ran for the stair. His assailants then split into two groups, one continued the pursue and one ambush at the end of the stair.

Then as soon as the first group turned the corner, they accidentally crossed by the laser of a trip mine and met their doom. At the bottom, the second group had already set up an ambush from every possible angles, making even moving difficult let alone dodge their bullets.

Shortly 10 seconds later, Eagle came running down the stair and bolted straight for the door. The Scouts then dived down and filled the entire place with bullets. Seems their ambush plan was a hit…or a miss?

The bullets all went right through their target and hit the ground instead. Only then did they realize it was a decoy hologram, and what they didn't realize was that a C4 charge with the timer counting down from 5s was dropping down from above.

* * *

Southern residential area, Echelon 3 drop off point.

Echelon 3's team composition:

Handgun: M1895.

Submachinegun: MP5.

Rifle: Mosin-Nagant, FN-49.

Machinegun: MG3.

After the chopper had taken off, they began to make their way through the residential area. With a single leap, Mosin-Nagant and FN-49 had landed on top of a building and continued their advance by jumping from rooftop to rooftop. On the ground, M1895, MP5 and MG3 weren't losing in speed either for each of their stride easily covered more distance than even a professional athlete.

Deliberately travelling through the smaller roads to avoid being detected, the group soon reached the intersection on the other side of the residential area. Peeping out from behind the wall of an alleyway, MP5 scanned her eyes on the surrounding and spotted one group of Prowlers.

"Uuu~, there's at least a dozen of them out there." She cried.

"Calm yourself, junior. They're just Prowlers and we still have the element of surprise." Standing next to her M1895, being the most senior of the group contrast to how her appearance suggests, reassured.

"Mosin, FN, you see anything else from up there?" the girl with braided blond hair wearing a red beret and the leader of the group, MG3 radioed their spotter.

"At least a few Vespids and Jaegers hiding inside the building across from our position. Might be more waiting somewhere considering we are this close to the Command Post." Mosin responded while looking down her scope.

"Uuu~, I don't feel so good in my stomach." FN groaned.

"Focus, everyone. Here's the plan…"

As the Prowlers stood guard and formed a barricade on the main road, the Vespids and Jaegers hid themselves on the third floor of the department store. The battle then kicked off with MG3 poking out from the alleyway and just started unloading on the Prowlers.

Being the lowest ranking of the machine group in both firepower and mobility, the Prowlers simply stood there and took the barrage head on, with the few that managed to survive also started returning fire. With MG3 gathering their attention toward her, MP5 and M1895 then ran across the street to get to the department store.

The Vespids and Jaegers in hiding, seeing two easy targets then popped up from their covers and readied their gun, but it was them that was the easy targets. On the roof of the opposite building, Mosin and FN who were ordered to stay low until the commotion started then began to eliminate the enemy in hiding the moment they popped up.

"And here comes your elder's valuable feedback! You better listen or face your punishment!" adding the finishing touch, M1895 and MP5 who managed to sneak into the building in the chaos had come up from behind to perform a pincher attack on the remaining enemy.

Their ambush plan went downhill faster than expected, but no matter for they have already completed the designated objective. One of the surviving Vespids, with all her might crawled next to the window and pointed her gun up high.

"No, stop!" knowing what she's going to do next can't be anything good, MP5 immediately shot the surviving Vespid but was a heartbeat too late. The signal was already shot into the sky, now it's only a matter of time before other troops start swarming to their location.

"Everyone, regroup! Enemy reinforcement will be right on us at any minute!" MG3 shouted which was then interrupted by the sound of several explosion coming from the south-east direction. Mosin and FN who were still on the rooftop immediately aimed their scope at that direction to get a grasp on the situation.

"MG3, I'm detecting a lot of commotion toward the south-east direction! It's possible the enemy's reinforcement is currently engaging with a friendly unit!"

"Then we gotta go and help!"

* * *

Residential area, southern outskirt.

Even from afar, the sound of gunfire and explosion was still relentless which made it even more unnerving. The enemy troop they've just eliminated was by no mean small in number, and they only managed to take them down in one fell swoop by knowing their formation beforehand and using that to their own advantage. If it was a direct confrontation, then no way they could have come out unscathed.

Sprinting at full speed, Echelon 3 quickly arrived at the intersection on the other side of the town. As soon as they turned the corner, the wrecks of three Prowlers came flying and crashed into the building on the other side of the street. From the direction where those came from, taking on an entire SF squadron was a single man.

Lugging around a shield even bigger than himself as if it's weightless, just by putting it before him Tiger easily blocked every single bullet that came his way. Then with the shield still up, he bolted forward his enemy at an incredible speed like a bulldozer and with a single bash, sent them all flying like ragdolls.

With the nature of heavy duty equipment being unwieldly and well, heavy, a single piece usually requires at least a two-man crew just to operate them, Tiger's exosuit was designed and built from the ground up to completely negate all these aspects.

Fitted between the outer armor and the innermost shock-absorbing material was an entire layer of carbon nanotube muscle fibers, granting the wearer immense strength to easily wield even the biggest of gear while also enhancing their mobility and flexibility to not feel like a deadweight during deployment and actual combat. Then by installing the two additional prosthetic limb units onto the back which can be controlled easily by linking them to the central system, the suit completely negates the need of a second crewman to operate any piece of heavy duty equipment. A complete opposite to Eagle's exosuit which spec'd entirely into mobility and stealth with its integrated optical camouflage and decoy hologram.

The G&K T-Dolls were completely dumbfounded at what they are witnessing. It took five of them with coordinated attack to wipe out a similar group of enemy, yet right here it was only a single man. Snapping back to reality first was Mosin-Nagant when she saw two Scouts sneaking up behind Tiger while he was currently busy with the Rippers in front.

"Aiming, fire!" firing two shots in quick succession, the Scouts were immediately dealt with. But because of the situation she did not consider her position thus her shot ended up attracting the attention of another group of Scouts. Maintaining the current defensive position with the shield, Tiger turned around as the right arm on his back reached the handgun and provided covering fire for Mosin and FN.

"You three in the back, move up! Prepare to mount a counteroffensive!" he shouted into the radio and reloaded his shotgun with a 30-round drum magazine. Using the same tactic, he charged straight at the enemy to gather their attention while also taking down everything on the way with a combination of shield bash and shotgun.

"Let's go, everyone! We can't let this chance slip by!"

A few minutes later.

With the last of SF troops eliminated, Echelon 3 finally have the entire residential area under their control. In the north also, Echelon 1 and 2 had cleared out all occupying force and are already in position. Now, the troops defending the Command Post is the only obstacle left standing in their way to their objective and victory. Now, begins the final battle.

"Combined assault, commence."

* * *

"For a bunch of pathetic and obsolete scrap, you all sure are persistent." Deep inside the forest, standing on the roof of an old abandoned facility of unknown purpose, Scarecrow muttered while observing the battle unfolded with disdain.

"I must say, you have effort…" with a wave of her hand, two squadrons of Jaguars which were put on hibernation to avoid detection then woke up from their standby status and locked onto the approaching Echelons. A simultaneous discharge, dozens of mortar shells rained down on the G&K and exploded violently, in a blink of an eye leveled a large section of the forest around the Command Post.

"…but alas, it's all futile." From elevated ground, she looked down on everything, everything is no more than a stepping stone or mere bugs to her. As Scarecrow raised her hand and about to send out a second mortar strike, a bullet pierced right through the middle of her palm.

"What!?" Scarecrow exclaimed. She looked toward the direction where the bullet came from only to see the G&K T-Dolls, still alive and well, taking out the remaining of her troops. On closer inspection, most of them took very minor damage like scratches and slight bruises. Then as the smoke cleared out and the areas of impact became visible, turns out all of them are only close hit and not direct ones. Turns out someone had popped a chaff grenade beforehand, causing the Jaguars' sensor and radar to malfunction leading to miscalculation in the ballistic trajectory.

"You obsolete scrap…" feeling greatly annoyed, she muttered under her breath then leapt down from the roof. Commanding the three drones floating around her, she decided to fight the G&K herself despite not being a combat model. On the command of her wand, the drones combined with the surviving Scouts all flew up into the air and rained bullets down from above. With the trees being their only cover gone, the G&K's advance was impeded and that in turn bought enough time for Scarecrow to rally the remaining troops.

But as soon as the remaining SF troops managed to regroup, a barrage of machinegun fire came from behind and got rid of them for good. Unlike Echelon 1 and 2 with their fancy chaff grenade trick, Echelon 3 survived the mortar strike on a more straightforward method. The moment they saw the mortar coming, Tiger held the shield up with all four of his arms and used it as a literal umbrella against the hail of mortars.

Once again, Scarecrow was careless or simply too arrogant to factor the survival of her enemy into the equation. Under the combined assault of multiple G&K Echelons, the Sangvis Ferri Ringleader, Scarecrow was defeated.

The operation now entered its last stage.

Upon interrogation, they discovered that Scarecrow had managed to deciphered the coordinates of an important G&K T-Doll currently on the run from the intel given by Skorpion, which was supposed to be false. Somehow, Scarecrow knew about the AI structure of G&K T-Dolls and deciphered the information based on the pattern.

"This is classified information on AI programming, how could you know about it!" Helian, appearing through hologram shouted in disbelief.

"What…are you exactly…?"

"Just…a lowly T-Doll, from Sangvis Ferri. Yet, different from those tools surrendering their will to humanity. Do you really understand…you lowly, coward human…who can only hide in their base and only showing up via hologram." Upon saying that, Scarecrow did not even bat an eye at Tiger who was standing right nearby and definitely in no shape or form resemble a T-Doll.

"Whatever you say, your operation has failed. No matter what you've learned, there's no way you could tell the others."

"Oh but I've already did. Procedure identification number…8364…9266…0223. The rest…is up to you. Farewell, then…" bidding her goodbye, Scarecrow detonated the explosives hidden on her body, intending to drag her enemy along to the otherworld.

* * *

Somewhere at the edge of SF held territory.

"Man...I should have liked her earlier. But at least for now, there is no obstacle between us..."

"M4A1, which corner are you hiding in? We paid quite a hefty price just to find you so don't disappoint me."

* * *

**So after reading the official manga, I really like the idea of T-Dolls being the super soldier archetype not only in combat skill but can also zip around the battlefield with just a leap instead of the ingame normal running, so I'll be using that from now on.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: The hunt for M4A1**

* * *

District S11 Sector 4.

"Um, Miss…Persica? You're sure that data is still inside that safehouse?" lying on the hill overlooking a compound surrounded by steel fence and barbed wire, Eagle asked while scouting out the area with his goggles for it was completely overrun by Sangvis troops.

"Yes, I am certain. Those Sangvis autonomous dolls while annoying can never comprehend the importance of that intel and they don't even know what is it that they're guarding. Just ignore them, get in, get the intel then get out. Should be a cakewalk, right?" From his earpiece, a female voice replied.

"In theory, maybe."

"For us scientist and researcher, that's already good enough. I await your good news." The female voice then hung up, Eagle heaved a small sigh at how carefree this lady, Persica, is when the mission involves infiltrating a facility in the middle of enemy's territory.

"Chief, how's the camera feeds looking?" inside the car parked not too far from his position, Tiger was getting a bird's eye view of the area through three scouting drones deployed beforehand. Since this area is Sangvis-held, on-hands intel is limited and on the battlefield, going in blind would just be asking to get killed.

"Signal's good, though can't say the same for where you're about to venture into."

"Well, a job's a job so no use complaining about it." Activating his optical camouflage, Eagle then slid down the slope, made a run for the steel fence and leapt over it. The data that he needs to recover is inside the main building, or 'safehouse' like how Persica called. To avoid being stolen by enemy, all important data is stored inside the main server located in the basement and that'd be his destination.

But to get to the basement, Eagle must first get past all these T-Dolls and machines crawling about. Hugging the wall of the building closest to the fence, Eagle data synced his goggles with the camera feeds of the three scouting drones in the sky.

One sniper unit posted on the roof of each building, five patrol units and two units guarding the main building. Total number of enemy: 30 T-Dolls and 50 machines. Best way would be to go around and enter from the back door.

From his current position, Eagle darted to the destroyed wreck of a truck and waited for the patrol unit to past by before continuing his advance. There are combat vehicle wrecks and destroyed T-Doll bodies everywhere and considering that Sangvis had gone to the extra length of keeping all three buildings intact, this place must have been extremely important.

Navigating from one cover to another, avoiding both patrols and snipers Eagle had arrived at the back door of the main building. Technically, with both his optical camouflage and sound dampening he can just make a run for it instead of the roundabout way. Against these foot soldiers, maybe, but against the more advanced ones they can lock onto the disturbance on the ground and track him down easily for the exosuit could only hide his presence, not make him disappear. And it's never hurt to be too careful.

So far so good. Approaching the back entrance, the steel door slid open the moment Eagle touched the control panel. Power must still be on in case the Sangvis need to use this place as a Command Post. Successfully infiltrating the building, he began looking for a way reach the basement. But, as expected of when going in with limited information Eagle always have to be mindful about the number of enemy in his immediate surrounding and their movement.

Finally, taking the emergency stairway he managed to get down to the basement. Main server room was down on the second level and the door is sealed tight with an electric lock that will immediately trigger the alarm if someone forcefully tried to hack their way in. However, there is a way to bypass it. This kind of lock is connected to a secondary power supply in case of a power outage. In that brief moment for it to switch from the main to the secondary generator, the firewall will be disabled temporarily.

Remember seeing the generator room on the first level, Eagle quickly ran back up and rigged a small timed explosive into the main power generator before running back down. After 10 seconds, the explosive automatically detonated and the entire building was put under a blackout. Without a second delay, he quickly hacked into the lock before the firewall can go back online.

"Got it." Hacking successful. The moment the firewall managed to come back online, Eagle had already got into the server room. Lined neatly along the wall were dozens of supercomputers capable of performing hundred quadrillion FLOPS, and at the end of the small aisle was the main terminal.

When Eagle plugged the earpiece into the terminal, the passcode given beforehand by Persica then interacted with the system and immediately downloaded all relevant data and deleted the rest. At that moment, his goggles alerted him of several units moving down the stair. Must be to check on the generator and they will soon notice that it wasn't just a flipped breaker. Then it's high time to get out.

Once the earpiece was removed from the port, all supercomputers in the server room simultaneously went offline as there was no data left for them to work on. Exiting the server room, he waited until the group sent down to check on the server room had passed by before dashing up the stair.

With the generators down for good, he can't get out using the way he came in since all the doors will be locked, so Eagle headed for the second floor and tried the window. The windows were also locked, but they are definitely easier to force open than giant steel door, and since there's no power there's no alarm. On the battlefield, nothing is absolute. A momentary setback can become the greatest advantage one can get later on and vice versa.

After exfiltrating the compound, Eagle made his way back to the car and contacted Persica.

"Miss Persica, I've got the data."

"What did I tell you, cakewalk. Now there is one last piece of data that I need you to retrieve, Once you have, please deliver them to the closest G&K branch. Again, thanks a bunch."

* * *

A few minutes later, District S09, coordinate HVVQJ.

"Well, we're here but as far as 'data', there are only ruins here and not research facility." Eagle said after double checking the coordinate on the map, making sure that they did not arrive at the wrong location.

"Research facility or not, I'm seeing some Sangvis activities inside the ruins. This part of District S09 is under G&K jurisdiction and their number does not suggest a normal patrol troop." Immediately deploying the scouting drones upon arrival, Tiger counted at least a few dozen Sanvgis T-Dolls inside the ruins.

"Seem like they beat us to the punch about the location of the data. But if they're still here, it must still be in there somewhere. Better make this quick then." The two got out of the car and when Eagle was about to run for the ruins, Tiger threw at him something that looks like two stun grenades, but inside was a blue glowing cylinder instead.

"Since you need to be quick, that should slow down whatever's on your tail by a great deal. Tread carefully, Eagle."

"Copy that, Chief."

* * *

Inside the ruins.

After entering the ruins without being detected, the search for this 'data' proved to be quite difficult but in a different sense than the research compound. All that Persica gave them was a coordinate, not even an exact location or a clue to identify this 'data' so Eagle had to figure that out on his own. And with the Sangvis's sudden visit, having to remain in the area long is anything but ideal.

Then, much to his surprise, when Eagle turned on his goggles' tracking, among the many footprints of Sangvis's T-Dolls, one set was distinctive from the rest.

"Well hello there." He mumbled. As Eagle followed them, he noticed a few peculiar things. When indoors, the footprints tend to be small steps and near the wall where there are exists such as window and doorway, cautiously keeping an eye out on the surrounding while also enabling oneself to make a quick escape should things go south. Whereas when outdoors, they are large strides to quickly cover ground while limiting down one's excessive movement as much as possible. However, the length of each stride was much longer than anything a human could achieve even with training.

So, a T-Doll with high degree of skill possibly special forces or even Ranger, a military grade. Is this what Persica was looking for?

The tracks then led Eagle to a large building of sort and ended there. Inside, light shone down from the bole in the ceiling and under a pile of rubble which was carefully stacked to form a small, hidden space, Eagle found a video tape.

"A tape?" before Eagle could wonder who would use a video tape in this day and age, his goggles immediately alerted him of a nearby enemy and at the same moment, from the other side of the wall a giant black blade appeared and came right at his throat.

A dust cloud filled the inside of the building as the wall was instantly reduced to pieces. Eagle rolled a few times on the ground before getting back up to make sure that his head was still intact. A second later and that would've been a reality. But just who was it that his goggles could only detect when they were already right next to him?

"Strange, I was sure that something was here." Long black hair, pale skin, pistol in the left hand, an oversize mechanical right arm holding the giant black blade that almost took his head. A Sangvis Ferri Ringleader.

Seeing that, Eagle immediately retreated into the next room and contacted Tiger. A confrontation is of his least interest right now, especially when it's close range engagement against a Sangvis Ringleader who, obviously enough, specialized in such fight.

"Chief, I've got the data but also a Ringleader on my tail."

"Got something on my end also. Stay out of her sight and get out of there now. I'll try to swing by once I'm done. Until then, exercise radio silence."

Just right on time when their communication was turned off, the Sangvis Ringleader entered the room that Eagle was hiding in.

"Where did you scurry off to now? Come out, come out, M4A1, and I promise you won't get hurt, much." The Ringleader said aloud while tapping the pistol onto her shoulder.

"_M4A1?" _Eagle thought. It seems she mistook his presence for someone else. Not only that, she only knows that someone's here but not the exact location. If that's the case, he might be able to pull this off.

"_Time to see just how effective this thing is." _From his pouch, he took out one of the grenades that Tiger gave him and pulled the pin. When optical camouflage is activated, anything that came in contact with the suit will also become invisible if they have been registered within the goggles.

The moment the grenade left his hand, it became visible again and caught the Ringleader's attention, turning into the perfect distraction for Eagle to dash toward the exit.

"Petty tricks!" the Ringleader swung her blade and cut the grenade in halves while it was still airborne. The cylinder shattered and the blue liquid inside, being exposed to oxygen, exploded into a blue smoke and assaulted the Ringleader.

"Guh! The heck is this!?" looking at her own body, the Sangvis Ringleader noticed that wherever the smoke touched glacial began to form, greatly limiting her movement. Cryo grenade, upon detonation the liquid nitrogen inside the cylinder is dispersed over a wide area, causing rapid freezing to anything that came into contact with it. Very effective against machine and extremely lethal against human target.

It took her a good while to completely break free from the glacial. The grenade proved to be quite effective, but as expected of a Sangvis Ringleader, they don't go down easily. However, by the time she managed to do so Eagle had already escaped.

* * *

15 minutes earlier.

After Eagle had infiltrated the ruins, Tiger stayed with the car to observe the enemy's movement from above. But he was none the wiser about the mysterious figure watching him from atop the tree.

As Tiger was watching the camera feeds, Persica suddenly contacted him.

"Hello again, Mr Boss."

"What is it? Eagle is still looking for the data, we'll deliver it to the G&K once he returned with it."

"Yes, I know. But are you not gonna ask about the content of the data? I heard from Ms Helian that you're an old acquaintance of Mr Kryuger, you'd be at least curious."

"Beside the mission essential, we don't ask too many question. It's sort of an unspoken rule in this kind of work, you need only know enough, nothing more and nothing less. Yet a certain old coot just love to work people off while being secrecy about everything." Tiger's eye twitched slightly upon the mention of Kryuger.

"But since you've brought up the topic, and I also find it rather strange, I'll ask. Just what is this data that you're looking for? Gotta be important for Sangvis to send this big a troop into G&K's turf."

"Oh, nothing much. Just some 'sugar cubes' I left behind the last time I moved."

"'Sugar cubes', you say." Tiger replied calmly. 'Sugar cubes' is most definitely the codename of the data that Eagle was looking for. Blurting out the full name when something is supposed to be important is the biggest mistake of all rookie mistakes. Having done this kind of job for a long time, Tiger could discern what is a joke and what isn't.

"Whaaat~? And I was expecting more of a reaction out of you. Booo, spoilsport!" Persica began throwing a small tantrum. Able to discern a joke, but seems like his ability to follow up on one could use some work.

"'S_ugar cubes'?! Is he the one who Ms Persica mentioned? S-should I reveal myself now? No, from his conversation there is still someone left inside the ruins. If I was to make contact now, they might get involved." _Hearing the word 'sugar cubes', the figure hiding on the tree became a bit faltered. She pondered between whether to come out now and have a chance at returning to the G&K, or to continue her mission alone and not risking the lives of two.

During that period, the sound of a twig snapping caused them both to be alerted. Tiger then turned around and readied his gun whereas the figure quickly looked down to check but it was not her who snapped the twig. Then who…

At that moment, from the forest a group of Sangvis T-Dolls rushed out at Tiger. They were the troop that was sent to chase her down, and now because of her delay someone else was involved.

"_Please, run!" _the figure was about to yell, but too late, for Tiger had already engaged in combat.

To start things off, he threw down a smoke grenade to impede their vision. They may be able to coordinate their attack with clockwork precision, but if they can't see they can't shoot. In the brief second it took them to switch to motion tracker, Tiger kicked the ground and bolted toward the three Guards in front and headshot two. The last one, he grabbed her by the face and from his prosthetic arm, a surge of electricity was released instantly frying all of her internal circuits.

By then, all the others had switched motion tracker and started to retaliate. With the Guard still in his hand, he lifted her up to use as a meat shield for the attack coming from the left while returning fire to those on the right. About a few hundred rounds, the Guard in his hand was turned into a beehive and became useless.

"You can have this back now!" With a C4 charge stuck to the corpse, he threw it at the left wing and triggered the detonator. Quickly, Tiger then raised the two shields on the ground for cover as he reloaded his gun. It was at this moment that Eagle contacted him.

"Chief, I've the data but also a Ringleader on my tail."

"Got something on my end also. stay out of her sight and get out of there now. I'll try to swing by once I'm done. Until then, exercise radio silence." After that one short contact, Tiger picked one of the shield up and rushed at the remaining T-Dolls. Among the ranks of Sangvis Ferri, the Guard is considered a high-end model T-Doll. But, as expected from a mass produced model, just from this level of gunfire and the shield already started falling apart.

But it matters not as Tiger continued to dispatch the remaining units using anything and everything available to his own advantage. Tools and equipment are necessary, but victory or defeat is dictated by one own skill. By the time the smoke cleared out, all of Sangvis T-Dolls were reduced to no more than corpses lying on the ground.

"Position compromised. Time to move." Without any time to waste, Tiger got into the car and drove down the hill.

* * *

Forest to the west of the hill.

After the close call with the Sangvis Ringleader, Eagle thought that he had shook her off his tail. The Ringleader, however, deeming that such tactics are cowardice then became enraged and after breaking free from the nitrogen, immediately gave chase.

"What's wrong? Ran out of your petty tricks already?! And I was expecting so much more, what a disappointment you are, little rat!" spouting constant taunts and provocations, the Ringleader continuously swung her giant blade wildly. Each swing sends out shockwaves that easily cut down even the biggest trees like nothing. As a combat model, her system was more adept at tracking down small movements and unusual details in the surrounding than commanding troops. Thanks to that, while she still could not see nor hear her enemy, she could still tell the general location whenever he moves.

"Seems that grenade was a little too effective in an unintended way." Dodging both the falling trees and the shockwaves was annoying enough, now Eagle must also take all of his movement into careful consideration to not expose himself. With one nitrogen grenade left, he planned out his final escape.

But suddenly, Tiger arrived at the edge of the forest with quite a few Scouts on the pursue. Not good, now the Ringleader will definitely go for him, and with their current gear it'd be hard to fight both the Ringleader and her mooks at the same time. Making a gamble, with all his might Eagle ran for the car.

"Don't think you can escape that easily!" the Ringleader also kicked off the ground and dashed toward the car. With the remaining nitrogen grenade, Eagle threw it at the Ringleader which this time, she responded with her pistol. Seeing the incoming shot, Eagle aimed his handgun and shot twice. The first shot knocked the grenade off the initial trajectory, keeping it from being destroyed prematurely. Then the second was carefully aimed and timed so that the cylinder would explode by the time the Ringleader was within the blast range.

"Same trick won't work twice on me!" gripping her blade tightly, the Ringleader blasted the nitrogen away with a shockwave. Fortunately, it still managed to buy enough time for Eagle to get into the car.

Tiger then pressed on the pedal as the speed indicator jumped straight up to 110km/h. From the backseat, Eagle grabbed his sniper rifle and started fending off their pursuer. The most imminent threat was the persistent Ringleader as her blade was mere inches away from cleaving the car in halves. Taking aim, Eagle shot at the giant blade and knocked her off the air. However, in that period the Scouts had already closed in.

Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam. Bam.

Six consecutive shots made quick work of the Scouts, but they were neither from him nor Tiger. They did not know who this mysterious helper was, but now is the chance for them to escape.

"Hang on! We're getting out of here!" still pressing on the pedal, Tiger drove both of them away from the hot zone and it didn't take long before the Sangvis disappeared from their rearview completely. And on the hill where the duo initially was, the mysterious figure heaved a sigh of relief.


	5. Chapter 5

**Yup, just the usual late update guys, nothing new here.**

* * *

About a week ago, final stage of Operation: Uproot.

Having lost all her ability to retaliate and surrounded by G&K force, Sangvis Ringleader Scarecrow after passing the torch to one of her 'partner', had detonated the explosive hidden on her body in order to avoid capture and interrogation. Thanks to a timely save further casualty was avoided and while the blast wasn't particularly powerful, Scarecrow's memory module aka the main objective of this entire operation, had gone up in smoke along with the explosion.

After all the planning, time and resources invested, only for everything to go to a complete waste, Operation: Uproot concluded in a total failure. Not only that, the enemy remained to be one step ahead of them with the coordinate that Scarecrow had decrypted.

By the time their Echelons had returned, G&K Chain of Command was already in the middle of an emergency conference to decide on the next course of action and because of that, there was no way for Tiger to meet Kryuger yet this time, he didn't seem to be as impatient for answer as before.

"_That old coot is the one who requires my service, so either he be truthful for once and prove to me that this grander scheme of his is worth my time or no deal." _Or so he said.

Afterward, the two returned to taking up contracts from other clients, one of which even required them to travel aboard so they had been quite busy and did not return to the underground base until a week later. Then on the day of their return, they received another call on the G&K channel. The timing couldn't be more impeccable so they both had thought that it was you-know-who. Much to their surprise, however, rather than the G&K the client is from another party associated with them, the 16Lab.

* * *

Present, G&K Forward Operating Base, District S09.

As per the client's instruction, the duo then made their way to the G&K Branch in District S09. And as it appears their arrival was expected for they were allowed to enter by the guard without needing any kind of identification.

"Not sure if they place more trust in us than they should or the security around here is just too lax." Commented Tiger. After parking the car in a corner of the courtyard, he quickly hopped down to check for bullet holes. Thanks to the reinforced armor plating, most bullets just bounced right off.

"Hey Chief, I'm gonna go and deliver this thing. A couple of things I want to ask them also."

"Sure, make it quick." With Tiger's permission, Eagle took the earpiece and the tape then headed into the main building. As he was looking around for the signpost, since the last time they were here the briefing took place in the main hangar and not the Command Center, three T-Dolls with identical appearance formed a circle and surrounded him. But Eagle was unfazed and after looking at all three of them, he turned to the one on the right and gave a light chop on her head.

"So you're going to be my guide then?" he asked. The dark purple haired girl done in twin braids, Ingram, not being able to keep a straight face anymore, burst out laughing.

"Hahaha, okay, I accept my loss. So what're you here today for, hotshot?"

"On a job. I'm sure you know her, Persica of 16Lab, she asked us to deliver these data to the nearest G&K branch."

"Of course I know her, all of us T-Doll do. Alright, since it's your win, I'll be your guide today." As Ingram spun around and Eagle followed her, so did the other two expressionless Ingrams.

"But, color me surprised, being able to discern the real from the dummies on your first try. Not many could do that even after working together for a quite some time." Walking in front with both hands behind her head, Ingram looked behind her and said.

"I'll save you the too in-depth and technical part, basically there are small details that tell apart a T-Doll's main body and dummies if you just look hard enough."

"So you're telling me you were ogling at my body?"

"Not exactly ogling but old habits die hard I guess. Keen sight is kinda in the job requirement."

Starting from the main lobby, the two had walked down the long passageway before taking a left turn and headed for the Logistics instead of the Command Post. Due to the base's current lack of a Commander, all of the base's activities and functions for the time being are handled by the Logistics Officer, also the one who they are about to meet.

"Ms Kalina, are you in?" Stopping before the Data Room, all three Ingrams knocked repeatedly on the metal door but there was no response at all. Ingram then decided to just screw it and entered. Inside, Eagle could see a long table in the middle with boxes after boxes of data file on top. Lined along the wall to the right were several machines, some dated all the way back to even the Second World War and are considered ancient or collector's item by today standard.

"Oy, Ms Kalina, you're still alive?" at the other end of the long table, Ingram was calling out to a girl with disheveled orange hair. With just a glance at the items around her and on the table, Eagle could already tell what probably transpired here. Overworking.

"There's someone here to talk Persica, so can we use the terminal?"

"What? She already called in advance, you say."

"Kay, thanks for your hard work. Do you need anything, anything at all? No? Suit yourself then. Just don't go toward the light at the end of the tunnel"

Despite being seemingly unconscious, she still managed to respond to all of Ingram's words with unintelligible grumble and Ingram, somehow, was able to interpret them into a comprehensible language. Seriously, the conversation between the two of them just now totally lost him.

"Well, I'll be going now. See you around, hotshot." Waving goodbye, Ingram exited the room, leaving Eagle and the unconscious Kalina behind. As he turned on the monitor, the comm line with 16Lab was immediately connected and just a few seconds later, Persica had already appeared on the screen.

"Ah, Mr Eagle. As expected of Mr Kryuger's old acquaintance, you two sure are punctual. So, the data?"

"All here. There were some difficulties with retrieving the last piece, a Sangvis Ringleader, but one way or another we managed to get away."

"I see…so they're already this close to her…" Persica mumbled looking somewhat worried, or that's probably just her being sleep-deprived.

"As I thought, it's not just the data that the Sangvis was after, is it? The Ringleader also mentioned a name. M4A1, ring any bell?" upon hearing the name that was supposed to be classified information, Persica's eyes widened slightly. After a brief moment of silence and downing her cup of coffee, she spoke up.

"Mr Eagle, can you do me a favor and play the tape? And don't worry about the whole 'prying too deep', for this is related to my next request." Eagle was just about to turn around and leave, but then had no choice but to stay. He inserted the tape and as the recording began playing, a girl with long black hair, a peculiar green streak on her sidelock appeared on the screen.

"Then let's quickly capture those radar stations since we're engaging in night battle, otherwise we won't even have vision of the area."

"I do not know how much longer can I keep this up. I have to get in touch with someone from Griffin as soon as possible."

End of recording.

The recording was short, very short, and there was no intricately hidden message whatsoever. But that is because whatever essential information was carved on the surface of the tape instead. A series of numbers, a coordinate.

If it wasn't them but instead the Sangvis who got to the data first, then this would be the same as asking to get caught, they would know of her location and immediately give chase. A high risk gamble with no guarantee of a reward, yet she still decided to take it anyway. Knowing the importance of her own self and by using that as the bargaining chip, she had opened up at least one possible future where she will have the last laugh.

"_This girl…that is some really risky maneuvers that she's trying to pull off." _Thought Eagle.

"So this is why you asked me for their contact information the other day." A female voice then joined in on their conversation. A second channel was connected to theirs and on the screen, appeared Helian.

"Persica, just because they're mercenary doesn't mean you can just push all the meticulous tasks like running errand or finding your beakers on them." Helian reprimanded.

"Well, it's because they're Mr Kryuger's acquaintance that I can have a peace of mind entrusting the task to them."

"Anyway, was your mission accomplished?"

"Don't worry. Now that I've got the data, the results will be out in a moment."

"Then please make haste. We're running out of time as you well know."

"I know. Then Mr Eagle, for my last request, that girl, M4A1, please bring her home safely. Thank you and Mr Boss too. Next time, I'll treat you two to some coffee." Persica then terminated the call. With her gone, Helian heaved a long sigh before turning to Eagle.

"Unless you fancy drinking dirty water used for doing the dishes while sitting in the freezer, I'd suggest you forget about it."

"Anyway, let's get back on track. Since her existence is already known to you thanks to Persica, I see no point in withholding information so I'll be frank." The recording on the monitor screen was then replaced with a more detail profile of the girl in the recording.

"This is M4A1, a T-Doll part of the 'Anti-Rain' Tactical Unit under G&K. She has been collecting some research data under the commission of Persica. According to our sources, she's carrying with her extremely important confidential intel, the kind that pose a threat to the Sangvis which is also the cause behind their increased invasion on District S09."

"But that still doesn't explain why they'd want to capture her alive. Considering the fact that the Sangvis sees G&K T-Dolls as no more than 'obsolete scrap', the normal course of action would be to just destroy her with superior number then rip the Core out."

"That is because even among the military grade T-Dolls of G&K, the Anti-Rain Unit consists of the most elite and their Neural Cloud is unique, as in they have attained nigh-perfect free will." Upon hearing that, Eagle raised an eyebrow.

"So what you're saying is, a 'doll'' that is the 'master' of its own 'self'?"

A Doll, civilian or military model, or the most common type nowadays, civilian model that received hardware upgrade, cannot act without directives assigned by human for that is the reason they were created and how they were hardcoded, to serve the recuperating human race. Even for civilian Dolls who partake in everyday labors, while they can express emotion their ability to act and make their own judgement is still very limited. So the fact that there exists not one but a few T-Dolls who possessed free will identical to a human being was quite the shocking news.

"That is correct. Now, onto the main topic. We believe that M4A1 is still stuck inside District S09 and is currently under the Sangvis's heavy assault, so we must bring her to safety with all haste. However, due to certain agreements, we cannot openly interfere with the situation."

"So after some discussions, Mr Kryuger had decided to entrust this mission to you two. And although we cannot directly interfere, we can still lend you our assistance. We want your unit to lead three Echelons, infiltrate Sector T6 of District S09, conduct an immediate search and secure M4A1 before the Sangvis does. Be advised, leading the assault force is a Ringleader, Model SP 524, commonly known as 'Executioner'."

"Yeah, no need to tell me that. Already got some firsthand experience with that blade of her. But, isn't this whole lending your troops to us a little too sudden?"

"While it's true that even with just the two of you, you'd still be able to figure something out and finish the job splendidly and your skill certainly does back that up. However, M4A1 is a target too valuable for us G&K to lose, so the High Command all agreed to not take any chance with this mission." On her side, Helian then turned on the profiles of fifteen T-Dolls currently stationing at this base, all of which the duo had met during the last operation.

"These will be your Echelons for this mission. I'll give the order to prepare for sortie immediately. And one more thing, since this is a high-risk mission, beside your usual payment Mr Kryuger had decided to throw in a little extra. After this mission is done, he will answer any and all inquiry that you may have. Then I await your success and goodbye."

After Helian had terminated her call, Eagle then tapped his index finger twice on the earpiece and spoke.

"You got all that, Chief?"

"Loud and clear." And from the other side of the line, Tiger responded

'Make it quick' aka 'contact immediately should there be any delay'. Ever since the moment Persica asked him to play the tape, Eagle had quickly switched his earpiece to recording mode without anyone noticing.

"So, what do you think, about that 'additional payment'? It's still a job so obviously we have to do it, but should we take the bait?"

"Although it's not from him personally, it merits some consideration. Going the length to achieve what he wants, that just the kind of man he is after all. So for this time at least, we can hold him onto his words."

"Then I guess it's time to fulfill our end of the bargain then."

* * *

About half an hour later, after wrapping up all the necessary preparations on their end the duo had arrived at the heliport to meet with the Echelons that they will be leading.

"Attention!" seeing the two approaching silhouettes, one of the T-Dolls then shouted as all fifteen of them orderly formed three lines of five. Stepping onto the elevated platform, Tiger took a good look at all of them before speaking up.

"Greeting, and at ease to you all. I know this is kind out of the blue, but for this mission that you are about to carry out, I'll be the one in charge. Looking forward to working with you ladies, then."

"Sir!"

"Well, enough with the pleasantries! We're on the clock here so let's move out, people!"

As the three choppers and one transport enroute for Sector T6 of District S09, boarding on one of them Tiger began explaining the attack plan.

"Listen up, Sector T6 is an old settlement located on top of a hill with three accessible routes. With their higher ground advantage, the Sangvis will most likely keep us locked in a long range engagement where they will have the upper hand."

"According to intel, the Ringleader this time is called Executioner, a combat model meaning she cannot command many troops simultaneously nor devise elaborate tactics like Scarecrow, which makes this much easier for us. So here's the plan."

"MG3, StG44, FF FNC, G36 and M14 will be Echelon 1 and you're on me. We will move in from the front and draw the enemy's attention. Ingram, Skorpion, MP5, Sten Mk II, P7 of Echelon 2 and Springfield, Mosin-Nagant, FN-49, SAA, M1895 of Echelon 3, advance from the north then flank them and sweep down south. After rendezvousing, we storm the Command Post. Are we clear?"

"Crystal clear, sir!"

Shortly after that, the four choppers have reached their destination and landed down on the field at the foot of the hill. From the cargo bay of the transport chopper, several boxes were unloaded and as the T-Dolls opened them, stored inside was their Dummies with two for each T-Doll. And right on time, Eagle rendezvous with them after dropping by the underground base to grab some gears.

"Alright, move out!"

Commence, Operation: Termination.

* * *

Settlement Area, northern entrance.

While Echelon 1 was causing a ruckus at the front and drawing the enemy's attention, Echelon 2 and 3 had arrived at the northern entrance. This entrance which forked into two routes, with one leads into the settlement and the other straight to the Sangvis's Command Post. Since taking either would be too obvious, Echelon 2 with the excellent mobility of Submachinegun and Handgun decided to enter by scaling the cliff instead.

Just as Tiger said, Executioner being a combat model meaning her modules are more suitable for scouting and active combat instead of commanding large troops, which also means that in order to deal with a multi-directional assault she needs a plan that doesn't require her constant supervision. In other word, setting up ambush.

Seeing the enemy's rather unorthodox approach, the Sangvis's ambush troops were thrown into quite a disarray before being able to reposition. Using that chance Echelon 2 had…

"We're right here, you Sangvis scums! Come and get some!" shouted Skorpion after throwing an incendiary grenade into an ambush nest.

…made a beeline through the settlement at full speed while making as much noise as possible. The reason? Compare to the Sangvis, their Echelon is severely outmatched in the firepower department and not to mention number advantage. So instead, they will become the bait for the big fish, luring the enemy out of their hiding spot and softening them down for those with adequate firepower to deal with.

Using the plethora of cars' wreck scattered all over the place as cover and their own mobility, Echelon 2 had no problem navigating on the street despite being in the center of a bullet storm. After a while with not even a single hit marker, the Sangvis then switched tactic and sent a Prowler unit to stop their target from advancing with another Ripper unit on the pursue from behind.

"MP5!"

"I know!" hearing her cue, MP5 then took point and from her body, generated an energy field that deflected every single shot coming her way. Such ability while differ between each, is unique only to the T-Dolls of G&K. And while it is indeed powerful, the module in charge of such function can only maintain the energy field for 3 seconds best before overheating. But that was more than enough.

Before long, the Prowlers were already taken care of as Ingram threw down a smoke grenade to shake of the pursuers. The Ripper unit from behind then sped up and ran straight into the smoke only to realize a tad bit too late the real purpose behind the smoke was to hide two grenades dropped near the Prowler's wrecks.

A few minutes later, with as much Sangvis as it can be on their tail, they have reached the designated location, an open area just outside the settlement. Seeing a faint reflection of the scope up on the tree, Ingram signaled for them to split up and hide behind the nearby buildings.

"Ready! Fire!" On Springfield's command, Echelon 3 hiding in the forest near the path leading to the Command Post simultaneously opened fire. The sound of their rifle reverberated in the air like thunder, bringing pain and instilling fear to those unlucky enough to be on the receiving end.

With all of them perfectly lined up, each kill was fast and precise, and the few remaining stragglers were then cleaned up by Echelon 2.

Northern district, status: hostility neutralized.

* * *

Settlement Area, front entrance.

As had been planned beforehand, by advancing in from the front Echelon 1 had gathered all the enemy's attention on them, enabling those up north to proceed smoothly. And as expected, the moment they got into vision range the Sangvis troops guarding near the ledge immediately opened fire on them.

With his shield that is impervious to anything short of an autocannon firing high-caliber AP round, by extending it outward Tiger had transformed it into a barricade as they hunkered down and took on an entire battalion of Sangvis troops. And since his shotgun even with slug shot would be useless here, he had switched to something that can deliver the 'devastating' factor even from afar. The Kord 6P50-2 Heavy Machinegun.

"M14, two snipers, 1 o'clock! FNC, G36, Scouts approaching, on our 9! StG, MG3, focus fire, straight ahead!"

Ever since the firefight broke out, it's been more than 20 minutes and while they're certainly matching the Sangvis blow for blow even with inferior number, their ammunitions are running low. But, if everything went according to plan, they won't have to maintain this deadlock much longer.

"Hey Chief, everything's in position and awaiting your call."

"Do it. All unit, reload! On the signal we push and coordinate our attack with Echelon 2 and 3!"

On Tiger's signal, several mortar strikes hailed down on the Sangvis near the ledge, taking them all out in one fell swoop and throwing the rest into chaos. Using that chance, Echelon then quickly pushed up the hill, eliminating any stragglers and rendezvous with Echelon 2 and 3. Only a few dozen left before the Command Post is in sight.

On a chopper circling around the area, Eagle who has been providing intel to the ground troops as the battle unfolded looked through his scope to survey the surrounding areas. For if this is anything like last time, which possibility he can't completely dismiss, then the Sangvis would still have some troops in reserve somewhere. And sure enough, when he aimed his scope toward the patch of land on the other side of the river, there was a literal swarm of Dinergates, more than even his goggles can count.

"Bad news, Chief. We got an entire swarm of Dinergates fast approaching on our position like it's the freaking locust plague."

"Drop the supply down and have everyone hold position. You take care of things here, I'm going on ahead."

"Roger that."

* * *

Town plaza.

Inside the biggest building facing the plaza, two figures came face-to-face with their guns readied and their fingers itchy to pull the trigger. On one side, the Sangvis Ringleader, Executioner. And on the other, G&K Elite T-Doll, M4A1.

"Is something wrong, Executioner? An unexpected situation has arisen, has it not?" M4A1 asked with a taunting tone after hearing all the commotions outside. Apparent from her nearly wrecked left arm and visible damage all over her body, the two must have had quite an intense battle prior to this.

"How…How come Griffin T-Dolls attacked my Command Post before HQ gave the orders…?" Executioner responded, flabbergasted at the amount of information that is flooding into her CPU.

"That is because a human commander is capable of mobilizing our troops independently."

"So you have been waiting for this all along?"

"It was a gamble. I have no choice but to have faith in them. Now, let's us discuss your ending."

"Ending? You seriously think this is the end-"

Just as Executioner was about to swing her giant blade, from the other side of the wall a machinegun barrage interrupted their conversation and forced her to dodge backward. Then like an unstoppable juggernaut, Tiger burst through the wall toward Executioner and bashed his shield at her, to which she blocked with her blade.

"Oh? What do we have here? Aren't you a friend with that little pest?" Executioner asked, reminded of her earlier encounter with Eagle but Tiger did not respond and the two simply backed away from each other. As she did so, Executioner noticed her own trail from the charge just now. She was able to stop him, but he was able to push her back quite a distance. To be able to overpower a combat model Ringleader with sheer brute force, such thought amused her greatly as she raised up her blade.

"Hehehe, it's been a while since I've had such an interesting opponent. Come, let me enjoy some more of this!" When Executioner provoked him, Tiger glanced at his machinegun to check for its remaining ammo then dropped it on the ground. A close-quarter battle it is, then. For better ease of movement, Tiger split his shield into two and took only one half of it. Then from a hidden storage at the bottom, he pulled out a tomahawk with a curved handle and lowered his stance.

"I'll see to it, your last struggle." With those words that are like a requiem for his enemy, Tiger dashed forward and swung his tomahawk down.

A frontal attack, Executioner brought her blade up intending to parry it, but when the two weapons clashed the force behind it was so great that her feet sunk slightly into the ground. Tightening her grip on the blade, Executioner knocked the tomahawk away then quickly brought up her handgun and fired three consecutive shots.

With lightning reflex, Tiger turned his upper body to the side and evaded the bullet. After only two attacks, Executioner could already tell that she's losing out in strength and decided to switch tactic. She charged up the modules in her legs and bolted forward as fast as a flash of lightning.

Being caught by surprise, Tiger got knocked away quite a distance despite having blocked the attack with his shield. Executioner repeated the same attack a few more times, dashing from one side of the room to the other. Thanks to his visor, after the third and fourth time he got the timing down.

The sixth time, when Executioner dashed at him from behind, Tiger managed to react in time but the speed of his attack was still slower. With her own strength and the speed of her attack combined, Executioner simulated that should they clashed this time, it will be her win. Well, 'should'.

When Tiger turned around and swung at Executioner, what he held in his right hand was instead the shield. Colliding with the giant blade, the impact of their clash caused the entire building to tremble. As a result, a huge slash was left across the metal surface whereas Executioner's blade started cracking up and shattered into pieces.

"_Where…where is his tomahawk…?!" _

As she was frantically looking, Tiger reached back his mechanical arm with the tomahawk attached to the side. A spring mechanism sprung it into his arm and with that momentum, he delivered a devastating strike, cutting Executioner's right arm clean off. Then as she was about to retaliate with her handgun, Tiger quickly ducked down, creating a clear line of sight for M4A1 in the back to take the shot.

With a single barrage, not only the handgun but M4A1 had also stripped Executioner off her mobility by shooting her legs module.

Nothing left to fight with, and with no means to escape, nothing else she could do but lay on the ground powerlessly, the Sangvis Ringleader couldn't help but let out a laugh of mockery, both at herself and her enemy.

"Just exactly as she said, huh. You Griffin T-Dolls are nothing but tool that knows only to bow under human will. How pathetic."

"Does it really matter? After all, it was with human and those you considered 'obsolete trash' combined effort that you were defeated." Walking up to Executioner, M4A1 spoke up.

"Whatever. Just remember that, even if you hide among Griffin troops, we have other ways to get to you."

"What?"

"Don't forget. You still have three companions stranded on the battlefield…And we both know they make excellent bargaining chips…"

"…" without saying a single word, M4A1's expression turned into one of rage and fury as she pulled the trigger and blew Executioner's head to smithereens.

"You should have not brought them up, Sangvis scum."

"Hehehe…you know, we won't…disappear…so easily…" leaving behind those words, Executioner's system and modules were finally offline for good. After confirming that she is no longer a threat, the two lowered their weapon as M4A1 turned to Tiger.

"Um…thank you, for coming to my aid. Allow me to properly introduce myself. T-Doll of the Anti-Rain Tactical unit under G&K, designation M4A1. Due to various reason, I am under Sangvis Ferri pursuit."

"Are you…the commander that Ms Persica mentioned? I believe the password was…'sugar cubes'. Yes, 'sugar cubes'." She asked, her voice full of expectation.

"…"

"The password is correct but…you got the wrong person. We're just a couple of mercenaries, hired to do some cleaning up."

* * *

Following the defeat of Executioner, the remaining Sangvis troops also ceased any and all retaliation. Thanks to that, the extraction of M4A1 went smoothly and she was immediately transported back to the G&K FOB in District S09 for repair about an hour after that. Operation: Termination ended satisfactorily.

Returning to the base, the mercenary duo quickly found themselves in the Data Room, with a secured line already connected to Kryuger.

"Well, we fulfilled our end of the bargain and it's time you do too with yours. And remember, I won't take any vague shit for an answer." Giving a reminder right off the bat, the two stood before the monitor screen as Kryuger closed his eyes as if to collect his thought before talking.

"To counter the threat and danger that the Sangvis Ferri poses, that is the G&K's first and foremost mission. However, we lack the manpower to effectively pull this off…That's what you two have already know."

"The real reason behind your long-term contract as adjutant and combat advisor is…to prepare for war."

"Even with all our major operations and offensive movements, it still wouldn't be wrong to say we are currently in a defensive position against the Sangvis. With each passing day, the danger that they pose looms ever closer and at this point we can no longer afford to play the waiting game."

"So, before everything reaches the point of no return, we're going to bring the fight to them. Fight fire with fire, to stop a war we're going to start one of our own. And who's better to do that than those who had fought in one and live to tell the tales?"

"We're remnants of war, Kryuger, you of all people should know best. It has never been our place to change the world or saving it for that matter, all we do is pull the trigger. And now you're telling me you want to be the hero and rid the world of a pandemic? Laughable."

"Be that as it may sound, it's still something and definitely better than nothing, is it not? After all, that's the saying you're always so proud of."

"He kinda got you there, Chief."

Their conversation went on for about five more minutes, and even if only slightly, the atmosphere wasn't as tense as when it started. Finally, both parties came to a compromise.

"Fine then. For now I'll play along with this to-be heroic tale of yours. Make no mistake, however, it's only so that good troops won't have to die a senseless death on your order anymore."

"Of course, you're free to do it as you see fit."

"And one more condition."

"Which is?"

"Even when hired as adjutant and combat advisor, we're still mercenary. So to avoid any inconveniences in the future, I'll be choosing my own commander."

"Hoh? Now isn't this a rare occasion? Do you already have a name in mind?" when Kryuger asked, Tiger glanced over to Eagle as he switched the screen to the camera in the maintenance bay, where a certain rescued T-Doll was being repaired.

**Chapter 5: Contract established.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Silence and Storm**

* * *

One morning about two days later.

As dawn came and the entire staff body carried out their daily routine, there was a certain T-Doll standing just outside the Commander Quarter, looking a little bit restless. The T-Doll in question was M4A1, member pf the elite Tactical Unit 'Anti-Rain', and also the newly appointed Commander of the G&K FOB of District S09.

For a T-Doll to be the Commander of an entire base is probably the first time ever in history. Even the one in question herself is still racking up her Neural Cloud to comprehend this fact. How did the situation even devolve into this in the first place?

Two days ago, she narrowly escaped the Sangvis's grasp thanks to the G&K troops led by two mercenaries. Afterward, after having completed all the necessary procedures like receiving repairs and uploading a copy of her memory logs to the main server, she had searched everywhere to properly express her gratitude but said mercenary duo was still nowhere to be found. Until yesterday…

Reappearing just as abrupt as when they disappeared, they introduced themselves as the new Adjutant and Combat Advisor hired to compensate the lack of Commander for the time being. Up to that point everything was still fine and dandy, then right when M4A1 ran up to thank them for their aid, they appointed her as the acting Commander, of course with consent from Kryuger himself.

Back to the present, having standing in front of the Commander Quarter for a good 10 minutes now, M4A1 then took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in, it's unlocked." Receiving the consent from the one inside, M4A1 then pressed on the control panel and entered.

The Commander Quarter, even after being appointed as the new Commander M4A1 refused to use this room because for one thing, not even her wildest simulation could have covered the training for this kind of situation. So currently, it is being used by the new Adjutant and Combat Advisor thanks to it spacious interior more than enough for two people and other utilities necessary to their work.

Inside, at the tea table seated a man with his blonde hair tied into a low ponytail, a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up, worn under a grey waistcoat and a pair of black trousers. Turning around to see who have just entered, Eagle then stood up a gave a salute to M4A1.

"Greeting and morning to you, Commander."

"G-good morning to you too, Mr Eagle." Still haven't gotten used to all the formalities especially as the one on the receiving end, M4A1 was an interval later in saluting back. Then, she noticed several documents scattered on the table along with a tablet. The documents appear to be past combat reports whereas on the tablet, profile of all currently stationed T-Dolls and Echelons' composition were being displayed.

"Ah, these? Just a little preview in prepare for the upcoming missions. I'll transfer the data over for checking when it's done." Although he said that, everything is pretty much completed. Picking up the tablet, M4A1 couldn't help but be astounded. Reviewing the logistics reports to get a grasp on each Echelon's efficiency, then consulting the database to find a better composition. Everything was executed like a second nature.

"_Amazing, so this is the caliber of mercenaries. They could easily outclass even Griffin's Commanders of the Elite Course." _In the time M4A1 was busy being wide-eyed and jaw-agape, Eagle was also silently evaluating. From both the stunt she pulled during the data retrieval and her performance during the Tiger's fight with Executioner, her skill is a guarantee. What's more, the whole 'nigh-perfect free will'.

If what Helian claimed is to be believed, then that would actually translate into her elite status and skill while also explaining how she, as a T-Doll, was able to make all those decisions herself. 'Seeing is believing', they will be working together from now on so there will be plenty of chance to see if that 'free will' is truly 'nigh-perfect'.

At that moment, Eagle heard a series of loud noises, mostly engine sound and heavy duty tires rolling on dirt road. Without looking out the window, he checked for the time on the clock and knew exactly what those loud noises are from.

"Anyway, it's almost time for breakfast so could I ask you to check on Chief for me? He should be where all the noises are coming from."

"R-right, I understand. And, excellent work, A-Advisor." Returning the tablet to Eagle, M4A1 suddenly changed her tone to a formal one, probably trying to act like a proper Commander after seeing Eagle's work but only ended up trying too hard and stuttering. Seeing that, Eagle chuckled slightly which caused her to be even more embarrassed.

"Although we did appoint you as the new Commander against your will and rather out of nowhere too, you don't have to try and become one after just one night. Just take it one step at a time."

"Remember, we're your Adjutant and Combat Advisor, we're here to help so don't be afraid to ask when the situation required, alright, Ms M4A1."

"Y-Yes, thank you, Mr Eagle! I'll be going now." M4A1 then ran off and as Eagle was about to wrap things up, the door slid open again as several shadows approached him from behind.

* * *

Main Hangar.

As the convoy of three trailer trucks entered through the gate, Tiger was directing each to their respective hangar for unload. Much like Eagle, his attire when out of combat is rather simplistic. A dark purple short-sleeved shirt tucked into a pair of black trousers, a necktie loosely hanging around his neck, with his handgun holstered right under his left arm.

After checking that everything has been delivered to their respective storage and put on the right shelves, Tiger then spun on his heels to return inside and as he did so, came to face with M4A1.

"Greeting, Commander."

"Good morning, Mr Tiger." Again, she was an interval later in saluting back, this time, however, was no longer stuttering.

"Mr Eagle asked me to come check on you. It's almost time for breakfast."

"I see. I am heading for the mess hall right now."

"And…thank you for back then." M4A1 then bowed, to which Tiger responded by raising an eyebrow.

"We were only doing our job, after all, and you should be thanking those of G&K if anyone."

"Yes, I know. Everyone at G&K also contributed greatly in rescuing me, but everything leading to that point wouldn't have been possible if it wasn't for you two. So at the very least, I wanted to thank you properly." With both her hands together, M4A1 bowed even deeper. Seeing how this girl won't budge until he accepted her gratitude, Tiger tapped the tablet on his shoulder in silence for a bit before saying.

"Then I guess the appropriate respond would be 'you're welcome' then."

After that short conversation, the two then walked together to the mess hall with Tiger giving a which rundown of their upcoming mission to M4A1. It was still particularly early, but by the time they arrived there was already a ruckus going on.

"Fufu, you sure know your way around the kitchen, Advisor."

"Not really, it's still mainly just a hobby though. But your dishes, now these are work of art. Any particular secret?"

Quite a large crowd was gathering around one of the table, where several breakfast dishes, while simple yet still managed to capture the gaze and arouse the appetize of any passerby, were being served. And among that crowd, Tiger could spot the figure of Eagle standing next to Springfield at the end of the table.

"How the hell did you even get involved in this?" Tiger asked, and from the crowd that was thoroughly enjoying the food Pah-Pah-Sha suddenly perked up still with a piece of French toast in her mouth.

"Ingram's the perpetrator!" she shouted.

"Pah-Pah-Sha, you traitor! And SPAS, that's already your sixth serving!" the situation suddenly spiraled out of control and erupted into chaos because someone didn't want to share their food.

After M4A1 had ran off and Eagle returning to going through the remaining documents, the group of four, led by Ingram had snuck in and dragged Eagle here to the Mess Hall in an attempt to get some French toasts. One way or another, they managed to have their request granted. However, they forgot to account for the outside factors.

Coincidentally, Springfield, who was also on today breakfast duty, had appeared at the exact moment and the situation, both literally and figuratively, became really heated up. Before they knew it, quite a large crowd has amassed itself. The result, was this chaotic of a breakfast session.

Recalling everything that happened while casually sipping on his coffee, Eagle then answered Tiger's question.

"Well, it's quite a story, Chief, this one."

* * *

Roughly 20 minutes following that chaotic breakfast session, the situation was resolved without any more food being stolen from their plate and the T-Dolls that will be sortieing in the next mission were then called to the briefing room.

"Is everyone here? Good, let us begin." Said Tiger on the podium. On the monitor screen, the satellite map of District S09 was being displayed as the scope zoomed in on the area of interest.

"As you all know, District S09 is particularly large, more so than other areas under G&K's jurisdiction which doesn't make it any easier to combat the Sangvis. So, in preparation for future operation, HQ has decided to push the front forward and that will be our mission this time. Commander, if you would."

Tiger then stepped down and switched placed with M4A1. On the other side, Eagle then switched the display to a Sangvis outpost along with the geographical information of the area.

"Our mission this time is to clear the road leading to this area so that HQ can safely mobilize their troops. The first objective is to neutralize a Sangvis supply station in Sector 3, cutting their chain of supply."

"As for our secondary objective, we will make a beeline for their communication outpost in Sector 5 and shut it down. By doing this, we will both put a dampen on their communication network, and other bases in the area will also be available to lend us a hand in future mission."

"Here is the Echelon composition for this mission. We move out in 10 so make sure to check your gear and assemble at the helipad before then. Dismissed." All T-Dolls in the room then stood up and salute before leaving to gear up for the mission. When the last of them had left the room, M4A1 on the podium suddenly slumped slightly. Being a leader of her own unit, she is used to briefing and speaking in front of others, but this time the sheer scale is bigger than anything she ever experienced so being a little nervous is understandable.

"_As I thought this is a lot more pressured than with the AR team…" _she thought.

Then from behind, Tiger gave slightly strong pat on her back, snapping her away from the negative thoughts with Eagle offering her a hand.

"Stand up, Commander. Time to lead them to victory."

"R-Right, thank you, Adjutant, Advisor."

Echelon composition:

Echelon 1:

SPAS-12, MG3, MG5, Grizzly MkV, M14, led by Tiger.

Echelon 2:

Ingram, Skorpion, PPSh-41, P7, Springfield, led by Eagle.

Echelon 3:

MP5, G36, StG44, SAA, Mosin-nagant, led by M4A1.

* * *

District S09, Sector 3. Time check: 0907

According to intel, the Sangvis had occupied and repurposed an old sawmill since before the war as their Command Post. With its own railway to transport timber and large storage capacity, it was a no brainer that they'd make this place a supply station.

As expected of a supply station, the security was much tighter than anywhere else. The perimeter patrols were a combination of Guards and Vespids, with more than a dozen or so Dragoons ready to pounce at the enemy at the first moment notice.

Originally designed as military reconnaissance walker, the Sangvis had since modified their design to be more combat suitable. With increased armor-plating, front-mounted searchlight, anti-personnel cannons and their already unrivaled mobility that can navigate any terrain with ease, save for the higher end units and a Ringleader, the Dragoons pose the biggest threat to any G&K Echelon should they encounter them.

As the guards continued their patrol, from the sky three mortar shells then hailed down, exploding and engulfing everything in a carpet of violent flame. Having noted the general direction where those came from, the Dragoons immediately headed for that general direction with the entire base going on full alert.

Upon reaching the forest, several silhouettes could be seen running away so they quickly gave chase, not noticing the EMP grenade rolling right at their feet. Paralyzed by strong surges of electricity, the Dragoons were then finished with a barrages of machinegun fire.

With the most problematic enemy taken care of, the G&K troops then jumped out from their hiding spot and rushed for the sawmill.

Inside the main facility, the Jaegers then started opening fire on the approaching enemy, however their long range cover fire did not last very long. For each shot they took, the G&K then returned one to them squarely in the head by tracking down the muzzle flash.

On their advance, the perimeter patrol units that were already in shamble tried to put up a retaliation, which frankly did not matter much for they were taken out for good before they could contribute much. With an entire flank cleared of enemy, the G&K troops easily infiltrated the sawmill as their long range engagement team then relocated to a different position.

Not long after that, the entire compound was taken over with all Sangvis in the vicinity neutralized. Even with all the data sharing in the world, that also amounts to nothing if they aren't put into use.

As per standard procedure captured Sangvis equipment and facility are to be destroyed on-site for they cannot risk the chance of them being recaptured, so with that in mind the G&K troops then scattered to set the explosive charge around the compound.

In charge of the railway was Echelon 1 and they found many supply cargos still in the process of being loaded onto the car. From the terminal, it seems the train was schedule for departure later today.

"Such a waste just blowing all this up." Said SPAS-12, looking at the supply and equipment cargos regretfully.

"Can't be helped, not like we can use any of these and we definitely can't leave them just laying around. C'mon, let's get down to it." Next to her, MG4 replied then started setting up the charges.

"Aww~, think of all the money we can save and delicious food we can buy…"

"That's what you're worried about?" behind them, M14 remarked.

"Is something the matter, Adjutant?" Seeing Tiger standing before the control terminal seemingly deep in his own thoughts, MG5 asked.

"Just checking on something. Since the Sangvis is using this place as a supply station, then wherever this track leads must also be under their control. So, since we're going to blow to everything into oblivion anyway, let's if we can put them to good use one last time." Going through all entry log in the database, then after some small mental calculations, an ingenious idea then popped up in his mind. He then fired up the loader system as the cargos continued to be loaded onto the train.

"MG4, how many charges do you have left?"

"About two, sir."

"Just enough. When the cargos are finished loading up, set one in the ammunition car and the other in the engine car. We're returning all this and some to the Sangvis."

* * *

District S09 Sector 5, time check: 1012.

Transitioning from the rural and forest area, the scenery of Sector 5 is a big city or rather, the remains of it. From the choppers, they could see the train crossing the large bridge before entering the city. Once the train had entered the station and presence of Sangvis troops is confirmed, Tiger then pulled out the detonator and pressed the button.

Two explosive charges, one overloaded the engine, the other triggered a chain reaction with all the ammunition caught in the blast radius, then everything resonated with each other and exploded into a glorious firework show.

"Hahahaha! Just look at all of them being blown to smithereens! Our Adjutant sure knows how to bring the heat!" laughing hysterically while witnessing the pieces and tidbits of Sangvis troops being blown everything was of course, Ingram.

"There Chief goes again with making it an overkill. Well, he is German, efficiency is everything to him."

With the explosion just now taking out a majority of Sangvis troop in the area, Echelon 2 then headed for the communication outpost as per their secondary objective while Echelon 1 and 3 conducted a sweep on the city.

* * *

Crossroad near City Square.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

Three consecutive shots earning him three more kills, Tiger then put another shot into the already critically damaged Prowler next to him before moving on. While there shouldn't be that many enemies left in the city, both Echelons had split up into smaller groups to cover more ground faster with Tiger going solo. Coming up on the City Square, all of the sudden an explosion occurred and the clock tower in the center collapsed on him.

Bringing up his shield, he knocked the falling debris away while also using that momentum to push himself out of the way. As he was about to identify where or what exactly caused the explosion, three Rippers then pounced on him.

With a roundhouse kick, he kicked the three of them away and finished them off with a single grenade. Tilting his head slightly to one side, a bullet barely grazed by his visor and that was when he realized he was completely surrounded from all direction. Unfazed and undaunted, he split the shield to be held one half in each hand and loaded a new 30-rounds magazine before charging headfirst at the enemy.

First wave of Rippers, he pulled the trigger six times with each time being a sure kill. Turning to the left, he swung his shield and destroyed three Prowlers creeping on him. The suit's AI then detected three Jaegers in the far back moving into position as the shield in his second right arm automatically moved to block the shots.

As Tiger continued taking down one Sangvis after another, suddenly his back bumped into something or someone as both parties turned around with their guns pointed at each other.

Red crimson irises, long pink hair with peculiar streaks of the same color as her eyes. Before his eyes was a T-Doll, judging from her getup, weapon, time and place of her appearance, who he had never met before. Both sides stared at each other for merely 5 seconds yet it felt like an eternity before continuing what they were doing, decimating the enemies around them.

While it's still unclear whether the other party is friend or foe, a helping hand is a helping hand, and thanks to that the Sangvis troops that were surrounding the two got destroyed three times faster than just now.

Hearing the sound of explosion near the section she was in charge of, M4A1 had hurried over but by the time she arrived, all enemies have already been taken care of with the two behind this standing amidst the mountain of corpses.

"SOP-II!?" when M4A1 shouted, the unknown T-Doll immediately reacted and ran toward her.

"M4! Hahaha, thanks goodness, you had me so worried!" the unknown T-Doll, or SOP-II as M4A1 called, exclaimed happily while giving the latter a hug, a complete opposite display of emotion from just now where there was only bloodlust.

"Phew…I'm just glad you're okay. Where is AR-15?"

"AR-15…"

"What? What happened to her?" when M4A1 asked again, SOP-II then let go of her as her expression turned grim.

"M4, keep calm and listen to me. Our call was somehow tapped by a Sangvis Ringleader…AR-15 is disrupting the enemy pursuit to buy us time."

"Time? Time for what?"

"They…are already en route…to your base."


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: the Puppet's prayer**

* * *

"En route? What do you mean, SOP-II!?" still have yet to fully process the information that SOP-II had just disclosed, M4A1 asked back reflexively.

"I don't know how, but the local Sangvis Ringleader seems to have waited for the moment the Commander is away to launch an attack on your base. Anyway, there's not much time left!" it was apparent that the urgency in her comrade's voice was clear, M4A1 decided not to press any further for now and quickly turned to Tiger.

"Mr Tiger!"

"All units, we've just received intel from an onsite T-Doll that the local Ringleader has launched a surprise attack on our base. Cease all your current activity and rendezvous back at LZ ASAP."

"This is Tiger to Command Center. The Sangvis has launched a surprise attack and is currently en route to your location. Raise Alert Level to Level 1 and have all available personnel to their battle station."

Launching a surprise attack right when chain of command is away on mission, quite a cunning Ringleader they're facing this time. All the more to not dawdling about, the trio quickly made their way back to the LZ.

* * *

Sharply 20 minutes, the base was finally in sight and as the three choppers hovered in the air, the massive firefight below came into view. Thanks to SOP-II's intel, the base was given a heads-up and avoided being caught off guard. However, without a chain of command and with just sheer number alone, the Sangvis force was slowly advancing ever closer.

"Cursed! They're already here!" SOP-II grunted loudly.

"Eagle, take your Echelon and pinpoint where their deployment point is. All these troops don't just pop out of nowhere. Pilot, get us as low as you can." After evaluating the situation and devising a suitable strategy, Tiger then stood up and reached for the door.

"No! You need to take off and retreat right now! Me and M4A1 alone cannot hold off this many Sangvis alone!" disregarding SOP-II's words, Tiger then pushed the door open then just as he was about to grab the rope dangling before him, he turned to her and asked.

"And why is it that only you two should hold off the enemy or why we should even retreat in the first place?" his question caused SOP-II to flinch slightly.

"They may have a bit of a head start on us, but that's about it. They want this base, they're gonna have to fight for it and they're gonna need more than just those glorified shooting range dummies down there." Without waiting for a response from the other party, Tiger had already rappelled down the rope and quickly took control of the situation. As SOP-II looked after him still dumbfounded, Ingram's voice rung up through her headset.

"Better give it up, new girl. Our Adjutant is one stubborn guy so try as you may but nothing will change. Anyway, since this base is totally alien to you, to retreat or to fight is completely your choice. But if it's the latter, you best hurry because there will be none left soon!" with an excited shout, Ingram then leapt down from the chopper and joined the fray as all other T-Dolls also followed suit. Standing next to SOP-II, M4A1 placed a hand on her shoulder as the latter looked back to her.

"Don't worry, SOP-II. We're not on our own this time."

"You mean…we finally have comrades?" at her question, M4A1 simply nodded with a smile.

"So, how about we go and fight alongside our new comrades?"

"You bet!"

* * *

On the ground, Main Entrance.

Compared to the Sangvis force that was flooding out from the forest like swarm of locusts, the force of G&K was much fewer in number with many T-Dolls using weapons that are relics from the past two World Wars.

At the forefront most barricade was two such T-Dolls. One with short light blonde hair, the other with brown hair tied into a ponytail, both employing weapons originating from World War II-era, submachinegun MP40 and handgun P38.

"Oh no, I'm all out!" shouted P38 upon hearing the clicking sound of her guns.

"Same here!" MP40 responded, their ammo reserve had completely run dry. Noticing the period of vulnerability in their enemy, the Sangvis then pushed forward even more relentlessly.

"Aah! They're coming!" one of the Ripper managed to close the distance and jumped onto the barricade with her guns drawn. Quickly stepping in front of P38, MP40 reached for the sabre on her side just as the Ripper was about to pull the trigger. Before she could do so, however, her face was crushed by a tremendous force before being thrown back to where others were.

"You two, any injury?" shielding the two of them behind him, Tiger glanced over his shoulder and asked.

"N-not at all, sir! Thank you, sir!" instinctively, MP40 answered while giving a salute.

"Then fall back with the others. To all units currently on the field, fall back and restock on your supply. Echelon 1 and 3, push back the Sangvis's advance!" as soon as Tiger gave the order, from behind him two shadows had immediately sprung forward with abandon straight into the enemy's rank.

"Hahahaha! So much killing to do, so little of me!" on the left, was Ingram with her murderous switch flipped.

"Louder, scream louder for me! Ahahaha!" on the right, was SOP-II taking down the Sangvis before her in an extremely gruesome fashion, like cutting off their limbs with a rifle burst or ripping out their internal wirings. Now there's two war maniacs that he has to deal with, thinking that Tiger could only shake his head before picking up his shield and also charged forward.

Utilizing her superior mobility, Ingram was jumping and dashing all over the place like a bunny, spraying bullets everywhere while also causing their firepower to be used against them. Whereas, SOP-II was alternating between her rifle and the under-barrel grenade launcher, launching a grenade into a cluster of enemy as they got blown up and scattered then taking out the stragglers before they could recover.

As the two of were too indulged in the killing, they were a heartbeat later in noticing the two Dragoons bolting toward them. Finally catching up, Tiger swung his tomahawk horizontally, cutting down both walkers' legs as they lost balance and fell down. Keeping up the momentum, he spun his body once and smashed the tomahawk downward, cleaving one of the two riders in half and finishing off the other with a shotgun round to the head.

"Nice timing there, Adjutant!" seeing the remaining Dragoons had decided to stay back and unload their cannons on them, Ingram and SOP-II quickly took cover behind Tiger and his shield.

"You have a tomahawk too? That's so awesome! Hey, hey, how many weapon can you store inside that shield? Do you have anything else?" yelled SOP-II with excitement before showering Tiger with questions. Despite being under fire from at least a hundred Sangvis while also being too far ahead from other allies, these two were being unusually chipper.

Feeling the vein on his forehead nearly popping, Tiger then vented all that anger out by slamming his shield down, stirring up the dirt on the ground into a smokescreen.

"You two are getting an earful from me after this! Now get ready, we're pushing the Sangvis all the way back to their deployment point!"

"Aye aye, sir!"

By then, the T-Dolls in the back under M4A1's command had caught up with them. With the smokescreen obstructing the line of sight, they quickly rushed through and took the enemy by surprise. After seizing the initiation for more than half an hour, the Sangvis first assault company was wiped out completely. And just right on time, Tiger received a radio call from Eagle.

"Chief, their camp is about a klick east further into the forest. We're currently culling down their remaining number but it seems more reinforcements are approaching from the north."

"Copy that. We're now making our way toward you."

"Command Center, have multiple squads comb the forest for stragglers. Echelon 1 and 3 will proceed to intercept and neutralize the remaining enemy and their reinforcement."

"Copy that, Adjutant. Thank you and god speed to you all."

* * *

Sangvis Ferri camp.

After locating the enemy's deployment point, Echelon 2 had quickly descended from the chopper with Skorpion, PPSh-41 and P7 employing hit-and-run tactic to cause mass disturbance among their ranks. In that meantime, Eagle and Springfield, after rigging the enemy's communication equipment and ammunition reserves with high explosive, had taken over one of the temporal watchtower and began laying down long range covering fire for the three.

As he took down one Sangvis after another, the presence of this reinforcement was still bugging him. From what he saw while on the chopper, the reinforcement was only a single freightliner. Usually, Sangvis troops are dispatched from a Command Post and advance to their target location on food instead of conventional transportation so seeing a freightliner here was already out of the norm for them.

It's possible that what they're transporting are armored units, in which case a freightliner would totally make sense. Sacrificing mobility in exchange for stronger armor and firepower, the high-end armored unit of Sangvis Ferri is an even bigger pain to deal with than the Dragoon. Without AP rounds, large caliber weapon or high explosive, one can never hope to take down an armored unit.

"They…stopped?" Eagle mumbled. The trailer's signal had stopped completely just a hundred meters away from the camp. Were they not transporting reinforcement? For what purpose did they stop? As he tried to deduct the reason behind the Sangvis's strange movement, his goggles then warned him of an incoming projectile, from the direction where the trailer had just stopped.

"Ms Springfield!" he shouted.

"Eh-" before she could even reply, Eagle had already swept Springfield off her feet and leapt down from the watchtower. Soon as he did so, the watchtower was instantly reduced to dust by what seems to be large caliber high explosive round. In that same instance, in the general direction where Skorpion and others should be, another explosion had decimated an entire section of the Sangvis camp. The three's conversation in a frantic voice could be heard on the radio.

"Skorpion! P7!"

"I'm fine! Get up, P7! We need to get out of here stat!"

"Grrr! These Sangvis scums, to think they'd deploy Manticore on their own troops!"

"_Wait, Manticore?" _activating his camouflage and seeking cover the moment he landed, through the smoke and dirt Eagle could somewhat make out an intimidating silhouette appearing from the woodwork.

Military-grade heavy armored unit 'Manticore'.

A colossal body housing state of the art detection and targeting system, an assault weapon system consisting of one heavy machinegun and a single 125mm main cannon that, while certainly not of the largest caliber, can still deliver enough payload to swiftly deal with any target even from afar, all supported by four massive arachnid-like limbs that can traverse most type of terrain, with heavy armor that render most firearms useless as the icing on top.

Nicknamed the 'Walking Tank', the Manticore is ordered and employed by the army as the new addition to their arsenal of automated weapons and in the future a replacement for their line of aging MBT. With everything in one package, be it firepower, mobility or defensive capability, the Manticore is a force to be reckoned with and truly a nightmare to confront, even more than a squadron of Dragoons.

Expensive production cost that not even Sangvis Ferri could afford an entire mass-assembly line for is the main reason why these things aren't higher on the threat level chart, resulting in their appearance on the field being completely negligible. And while having the same weakness as any Sangvis unit that is an exploitable AI, a Manticore is completely capable of wiping out any T-Doll Echelon should they approach it recklessly.

"_Not only one but two of them at the same time, quite extravagant of you, Ms Ringleader." _

"Um…Mr Eagle?" As Eagle was thinking on how to buy time until the main force arrived, Springfield called out to him with a rather meek voice.

"Y-you can let go of me now…" she said and only then did Eagle realize he was still holding Springfield tightly by her waist.

"Ah, right. Pardon my rudeness for that."

"I-it's fine, really!"

From behind the cover, Eagle observed the two Manticores for a few more minutes to make sure their position is still good before contacting the other three.

"Eagle to all unit, damage report."

"Skorpion here, I'm still okay though can't say the same for one of my dummies."

"This is Pah-Pah-Sha, just a few scratches and bruises, I can still fight."

"P7, nothing major. So what now, Advisor?"

2 Submachineguns, 1 Handgun and 2 Sniper Rifles, no matter how you put it taking down two Manticores with only a handful of troops and without specialized equipment is just completely out of the question. But they still have to at least take out or weaken one of them before the main force arrived.

Rummaging through his pouch to see what he still has left, then performing a quick scan on the surrounding environment for anything that can be used to his advantage, in less than a minute Eagle had formulated a plan with the highest chance of success even in the current situation.

"Alright, here's the plan…"

* * *

As the two Manticores split out to sweep the camp looking for their targets, one of them had spotted a set of fresh tracks and was following it. Two different sets of footprints both leading straight into the forest and, as its scanner zoomed in, a tripwire attached to a stash of ammunition. With one single shot from its machinegun, the Manticore cleanly severed the wire before proceeding forward.

Unbeknownst to it, there was nothing connected to the tripwire as it was merely for distraction. Right when the Manticore got within range still thinking that the threat had been removed, a small high explosive charge that was carefully hidden between the ammo box was detonated.

During the same time, the other Manticore had come across Skorpion's destroyed dummy. Just as it got closer to scan the body for any clue leading to the main body whereabouts, the explosion on the other side diverted its attention for a brief second and the dummy sprung back to life.

Holding a grenade with a white stripe in her hand, the dummy got as close as possible to the Manticore before pulling the pin. The grenade exploded into a cloud of grayish smoke that, beside the presence of dense metal composition as indicated by the scan, did not cause any kind of interference whatsoever as the Manticore stomped on the dummy with relative ease.

"This is for my dummy, now burn you walking oversized tin can!" from behind the wall, Skorpion, the real one, jumped out and threw her incendiary grenade. The very moment a single spark of flame made contact with the smoke cloud, the entire thing with the Manticore still inside ignited into a glorious fiery blaze.

Caught in the center of explosion, the Manticore's scanner went complete haywire rendering it immobilized for a brief second, during that time the fire which temperature exceeding 2000'C had melted through a large proportion of its armor. Now, the defensive capability that the Manticore is known for was reduced to no superior, if not worse, than a normal armored unit.

The time for them to strike has come. Coming out of their covers, Echelon 2 then began their counterattack. Still having its colossal enveloped in flame, the Manticore stood up and turned toward the enemy, putting up what is probably its last struggle.

Detecting three targets strafing to get behind it, the Manticore quickly turned around after them despite the damage its frame had sustained. With the heavy machinegun suitable for this kind of situation no longer usable, it could only resort to its main cannon.

Fortunately for it, the detection and targeting system was mostly unscathed and operable as it took only 2 seconds to achieve a full lock-on on three moving targets. Then as the dreadful 125mm about to discharge, the Manticore's entire body slanted to one side and the shot went completely off the mark.

Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang. Bang.

Six consecutive and synchronized shots from two different directions, all aimed exclusively at the lesser-protected joints of the limbs. With the frame already greatly weakened by the fire, the joints soon exceeded their damage threshold and collapsed under the weight of the body.

Quickly repositioning themselves while chambering the next round on the move, Eagle and Springfield then repeated the same tactic, this time completely stripping the Manticore off its ability to mover and maneuver.

Trying to stand up with great difficulty only to drop back down helplessly as electrical sparks flew out from the damaged joints. The Manticore, boasting the firepower, defense capability and mobility rivaling that of a MBT, now reduced to no more than a giant bonfire.

System: critical. Hull integrity: compromised. Frame integrity: compromised. Detection and targeting reticle: malfunction. Reactor core breached, power output dropping. Warning. Warning.

As these warnings kept popping up one after another, the onboard system soon went into overload and initiated a forced shutdown. With 5 seconds left on the counter, the last image that the camera captured was three barrels pointing straight at the lens.

"And this, is for all our comrades that you've killed. Now die and perish, you Sangvis scum."

* * *

About 20 minutes after that, Echelon 2 then rendezvoused with the main force after the latter had taken care of the other Manticore. Being caught in an explosion like that, an entire right side of the Manticore's armor was in total tatter with its antenna was completely trashed so for the main force it was a total cakewalk.

Surely enough, the moment they regrouped Skorpion and P7 just won't stop bragging to others on how their team took on two and destroyed one Manticore on their own surprise assault. With all enemy forces eliminated, the Sangvis assault on G&K FOB of District S09 was successfully repelled. Then just as they were about to return, from the destroyed Manticore came an unfamiliar voice.

"Hmph, I must commend you all, you're even more of a threat than I've anticipated, taking out both Manticores like that." Hearing the voice, everyone was put on high alert as they backed away from the Manticore, with SOP-II suddenly baring her fangs.

"That voice…It's Hunter! That damn bitch!"

"Oh, so you're there too, brat? Not that it matters, the only one I'm after is M4A1." Hearing her name being called, M4A1 then stepped forward.

"You're Hunter? What do you want from me?"

"Isn't it already easy enough to see as is? As you've probably guessed, I have AR-15."

"Struggling till your last breath, bitch?!"

"More like it's part of my strategy. No matter how hard you fight, this is a battle that you cannot win. So how about a deal? Drop your weapon and surrender yourself to me, then you can have AR-15 back. Still not believe me? Then here, some proof…"

"Don't listen to her, M4! It's all my-" the transmission was then cut off before the one on the other side could even finish her sentence.

"I believe her words will convince you to give the response that I want. Don't put your money on the G&K, for even this stalemate is simply a setback to their inevitable demise."

"So, think it over and give me your answer, soon." End of transmission.

* * *

An hour later, after all attack Echelons had returned the base remained on high alert as security on the immediate vicinity was greatly increased. It was a long and tough battle, but to some this was only the beginning.

As night falls and all other T-Dolls are already dismissed for the day, four individuals remained on duty as they gathered in the Command Center, strategizing about the next course of action.

"Model SP721, call sign 'Hunter'. She's the new local Ringleader and according to intel, unlike the previous two, Hunter is in charge of an entire tactical base with thousands of troops including the elite ones at her disposal." Said Eagle standing next to the main terminal.

"While we do not have the exact location of the base yet, if it's something that can house thousands of troops and the supply necessary to maintain such number, it should be impossible to miss."

"But if this base is as big as the intel claimed, and with Hunter commanding it directly, it's going to be hard no matter what we do." M4A1 voiced her worry.

"Since we just took down the communication outpost, other bases in the area might be able to lend us their assistance although it will take time to prepare troops and organize an attack plan." Tiger added on.

"We can't afford to waste even a second for that! Who knows what that bitch will do with AR-15 if we wait around!" yelled SOP-II slamming her hands on the table. While her restlessness is understandable, this time they're going up against an entire base with thousands of troops and possibly even more of those Manticores. Even with proper preparation and a well-thought plan, the probability of success is still very low to be accepted by anyone with common sense.

"I know that, SOP-II! I too want to rescue AR-15, but we cannot do this sloppily! Now it's not just us, but also other lives that we're putting on the line!"

"Then it'd fine if it's just the two of us, right?!" a small quarrel then broke out between M4A1 and Sop-II. On one side, is the life of their comrade at stake, on the other, is hundred other T-Dolls. Standing on the sideline, Tiger then said something to Eagle as the latter flipped through the tablet in his hand. At first, he raised an eyebrow probably because of something Tiger said, and after a while of discussing, an agreement was reached.

"So Commander, your call." Tiger asked, causing the two girls to stop their quarrelling.

"We can ask for other bases' help, it'll certainly take time, but the operation will have the highest chance of success and we'll be taking the fight to them. Or, we can throw at them everything we've got, while it's not a guarantee, there certainly is chance of success."

"…"

"M4…"

"Is it okay if I make a selfish request?"

"There are no requests, only orders. You're the Commander, and we're your Adjutant and Advisor. If it's your call, then we will carry it out, to the utmost of our abilities."

"I see…Then here's my order. We will conduct an assault on the Sangvis Ferri tactical base where the local Ringleader, Hunter is currently operating. This operation shall take precedence above all else. Mr Tiger, Mr Eagle, I'll entrust the preparation to you two. Do what must be done and as soon as possible." With an adamant voice, M4A1 issued her order. It was the same voice that M4A1 always use when they're on mission, the same voice that SOP-II was already too familiar with, yet this time there was something different that she couldn't quite put her finger on it.

"Then it shall be so. Now, get some rest for the night. Tomorrow, we strike at dawn." Giving their salute, the two then left the room and immediately got down to making the preparation. It was unclear whether because they take their job and sense of duty seriously, or because they're already used to this kind of thing, being mercenary and all, but their efficiency and overall performance far surpassed anything that one would come to expect of a normal human being.

That night, even though they were told to get some rest, neither M4A1 nor SOP-II could get even a blink of sleep. Lying on the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, SOP-II suddenly spoke up.

"Today…sure was a crazy day, right M4?"

"Hm? Ah, it surely was…"

"You know M4? When you told me that we finally have comrades, I was overwhelmed with joy. At long last, we won't have to fight alone and suffer the pain by our lonesome selves anymore."

"Huuh…"

"But at the same, I was scared, very scared. Back then, you, me, AR-15 and M16, just the four of us, we can pull through anything as long as we're together. But now, with so many comrades and sisters with us, what if what we're doing tomorrow is just leading them toward destruction?"

"…"

"Hey M4, it's still not too late. If we go now, we can sneak out unnoticed and rescue AR-15 without involving anyone. What the Sangvis wants is us, so it's best if we-"

"SOP-II." M4A1 suddenly cut her off as the room fell into silence again. The two stared at each other for a while before the former reached out of her blanker to hold SOP-II prosthetic hand.

"I won't ask you to not worry when I too am. But I want to ask you, to place your trust on them. They're our Adjutant and Advisor, they're here to help us, so the only thing we can do right now is to rely on them..."

"And pray for a miracle."

* * *

**When a Manticore going all gung-ho on you in CUBE and it's the squad you forgot to bring AP**


	8. Chapter 8

**And after an entire month of training camp, and a half cuz I'm lazy, I am finally back!**

* * *

**Chapter 8: Hunter and hunted, prey and Predator**

* * *

G&K FOB of District S09, 2:51 in the morning.

"And so, that is the current state of affairs." Standing before the large monitor with both his hands behind his back, Tiger concluded his report regarding their given mission of putting a hole in the Sangvis communication network in District S09, the rescue of another AR Team's member, M4 SOPMOD II and also their next major operation.

A raid on Sangvis Ferri's tactical base to eliminate the Ringleader currently operating there, Hunter, to greatly cripple their sphere of influence in the area, and to also rescue the currently held captive AR Team member, ST AR-15.

As expected, upon hearing about this Helian immediately grimaced slightly. A tactical base accommodating thousands of Sangvis troops, a Ringleader currently posted there and an apparent number disadvantage to boot. No matter how you slice it, only inevitable destruction awaits them at the end of this. After rubbing the bridge of her nose a bit, Helian recollected herself and asked.

"Mr Tiger, while it is true that your unit is not placed under the G&K Chain of Command as per Mr Kryuger's order, why did you not consult about this in advance?"

"Because we're in a race against time and because the retrieval of AR Team members remained as the highest priority order, I've taken the liberty of moving forward with the plan instead of bringing this up to the top brass. So should this cause any future inconveniences, I'll be sure to properly reflect upon it." Despite saying that, Tiger's gaze was unfaltering as if declaring such scenario will never happen so Helian could only heave a small sigh.

"I see…However, Mr Tiger, while I know that you aren't one to decide thing on the spur of moment, I must still make sure. This battle, how exactly do you intend to fight it? Not just the clear number disadvantage alone, if it's true that the enemy still have more Manticores at their disposal, your Echelons won't even reach their doorstep."

"Of course, a frontal confrontation would definitely result in our annihilation. So just prior to our talk, I've made contact and requested assistance of two other bases in the area. It's not quite a whole Brigade to even things out, but it's more than enough, more than anything I ever have to work with." As Tiger said that, the monitor screen blinked repeatedly, signaling an incoming call. He pressed a button, and the two Commanders who he had contacted earlier appeared on the screen.

"Greeting, gentlemen. The fact you're here mean my request has come through successfully. Thank you for answering to my call on such short notice."

"But of course. A Sangvis tactical base is a major threat, the sooner we wipe it off the map the better." The Commander on the right, named Kamolovich, a man with tall and muscular build contrary to his age of 23 spoke up as his handlebar mustache rustled with each movement of his mouth. On the left, the other Commander, named Sekigun, also nodded while pushing up his glasses.

"With that being said, enlighten us on what should be done, Mr Adjutant."

"Certainly. First, please take a look at this." Pressing a few buttons, the monitor screen then switched to a footage of the tactical base in question.

"This is real time footage of the Sangvis tactical base taken by one of our UAV currently flying over the area. As you can clearly see, this place is built with the idea of withstanding if not outright repelling a siege in mind." Exactly as Tiger said, with multiple artillery emplacements along the outer wall and an underground rail platform, this Sangvis tactical base is basically an impenetrable fortress.

"Hm…now this is one tough nut to crack." The Commander Sekigun said, probing his chin.

"That's a regional Ringleader for you. With that underground rail platform, they are completely self-sufficient so a battle of attrition would be our worst case scenario." Folding his arms, Commander Kamolovich added on.

"All that aside, the actual problem would be how to actually infiltrate this place. We can't just waltz in through the front door and those artilleries will blow us out of the sky if we approach by chopper." And finally, so did Helian.

"Correct. However, there's yet another method and that is to open the gate from the inside."

"From the inside? Mr Adjutant, like Ms Helian just said, if we can just get inside none of this would be a problem now, would it?"

"Our entire troop, yes. However, if we were to gather the enemy's attention with our firepower, then a stealth infiltration using a small group is definitely possible."

"From the footage, the artillery emplacements and security around here is the thinnest. So we will position our Echelons here, here and here to cause a commotion, forcing them to move their troops, the infiltration team will then sneak in, shut down the active defense system and open the gate for the main troops." When Tiger explained his strategy, Helian, Kamolovich and Sekigun, all three of them simply stayed quiet and listen intently.

"I see…Very interesting, Mr Adjutant." Commander Sekigun said while giving a few nods of approval.

"Good, very good. Now that sounds like a plan!" adding his own compliment, Commander Kamolovich let out an exhilarated laugh.

"So, what will your verdict be, Ms Helian?"

"Well, I'd have to see it to make my judgement, but at the very least it's far from a suicide mission. Very well, you may have full authority and proceed with this operation as you see fit, on one condition however. In order to smooth things out with the top brass on my side, you must produce a result better than what you claimed."

"And it shall be so. Then gentlemen, I'll be seeing you on the battlefield." Transmission ended.

* * *

A few hours later.

"Haaaaaaaa~, so sleepy~." Wearing a sleepy expression, with both eyes only half opened, SOPMOD-II let out a really long yawn while sorting the mags into her pouches. Because of the conversation that she and M4A1 had last night, it wasn't until past midnight that the two were able to fall asleep. But that's probably only her for M4 was completely normal and was even fixing SOPMOD's clothes for her.

While still sometimes away until the first ray of sunlight, the entire base was already in full working mode. Having completed their preparations, the duo then made their way to the main hangar where Eagle and all other T-Dolls are already presented.

"Morning to you, Commander~." The first one to greet them was Springfield as Eagle was currently occupied at the table. While being appointed as the Commander, most T-Dolls still referred to her as simply M4, M4A1 or like Springfield, as Commander but in a casual tone. Which, to be frank, the person herself actually preferred it this way more than her two Adjutant and Advisor's 'solemn and salute' one.

"Ah, morning, Ms Springfield."

"With you two here, that should be everyone. The briefing will start soon so in the meantime, here you go." She then handled the two a cup of hot chocolate each, with some white pieces probably marshmallow floating inside.

Feeling the cold wind of early morning brushed pass their cheeks, M4A1 and SOPMOD received their cup with gratitude, with the latter immediately gulping down half of its content. As the hot cocoa entered down her throat, its heat warmed up her body considerably and the bitter taste only served to accentuate the sweetness of the marshmallow even more with every bite.

"Delicious! Sister Springfield makes good hot cocoa!" like a machine being turbocharged, SOPMOD's exclaimed energetically completely different from her state of total drowsiness just now.

"'Sister Springfield', huh. Fufu, that does have a nice ring to it." Just for those two simple words, Springfield began patting SOPMOD on her head like an actual big sister doting on her younger sibling. A few minutes later Eagle then called out as their attention was upon the hologram table.

"All right, is everyone here? Then let's begin the briefing."

"This is our target this time. The Sangvis Ferri tactical base, codenamed 'Sanctuary' for now. With just a glance, I'm sure all of you'd be asking 'what the heck', because that's a lot of Sangvis to kill." Toward the last part of his sentence, everyone could hear a certain T-Doll with a killing spree tendency snickering to herself.

"Worry not though for we have a way to soften them up, as to what the method is, it's best to wait and see for yourself. Anyway, after the grand opening will begin Phase 1 of the plan. Echelon 1 and 2, you're to work with Echelon 601 and 737 to cause as big a ruckus as possible at the front gate. Employ guerilla tactic and use the forest to your advantage."

"Phase 2, we'll be sending in a small team. Echelon 3, you'll be infiltration team. Using the ongoing commotion at the front gate, you'll infiltrate the base from here, Point 7D where security is the thinnest even under normal circumstances. Your job is to shut down their active defense system and open the gate."

"Now, for Phase 3, Echelon 1 and 601 will advance through the front gate and quickly take over the wall, taking out their remaining number and proceed from there. Echelon 2 will split up to provide bird's eyes view from the sky. Because this is their own home turf that we especially cannot let our guard down, report immediately should anything felt amiss. Is everyone clear?"

"Sir, yes sir!"

"Good, then let's move out!"

* * *

30 minutes later, Sangvis Ferri tactical base, the 'Sanctuary'.

"So they've come, the G&K maggots." Spoke Hunter with a scoff. Inside this dimly lit room that is the base's Command Center and her personal space, she was observing the situation outside through one of the hundreds floating holographic screens.

"Hm, it seems my offer and warning them fell on deaf ear. Really, the foolishness of these tools and the humans that they submitted to simply knows no bound." As hunter's monologue dragged on, she was suddenly interrupted by the blaring siren.

Has the enemy infiltrated the base, how many, how did they get in, those thoughts popped up in her mind. But it was only until too late did she realize, that was the RAM warning siren.

"Countdown to dawn in 5…4…3…2…1…"

"Fire." As the sun casted its first ray of sunlight upon this dark plane, the thunderous roar of a metallic beast resounded in the atmosphere five times, shaking the entire forest and spooking the wildlife nearby before ceasing temporarily.

From the distance of 5km away, five projectiles were discharged into the air, each travelling at different speed and altitude, all headed toward the same destination. Then, when the Sangvis tactical base was within sight, in a parabolic arch the five projectiles began their rapid descend and quickly made contact with the ground.

Two exploded in the courtyard where hundreds or so Sangvis T-Dolls are currently on standby, two other landed on the south-western wall, taking out the artillery emplacements there along with a large section of the wall, and the last one landed in what seems to be the refinery for the explosion triggered a chain reaction over an entire sector of the base.

"First burst discharge, successful. All shells' impact confirmed. Initiate reload sequence. Resume firing in 3." And the one pulling the string behind the destruction that had just been unleashed was, of course, Tiger. However, it is not him that is the main star of the stage this time, but the metallic beast right next to him.

Another relic of the old war, Panzerhaubitze 2000. Armed with a 155mm self-propelled howitzer, boasting a rate of fire of 13 rounds per minute when working at maximum capacity, the PzH 2000 developed for the German Army was one of the strongest and most successful conventional artillery system back in the day.

Purchased from the black market for one of their job in Afghanistan, the PzH 2000 was then modified by Tiger to be fully automated, requiring only a single crewman to operate its targeting system. And over the year, more and more upgrades continued to be added, making it not only a unique model at this point, but can also hold its own ground against the modern ones, despite its 50-year seniority.

"Heh, when he mentioned 'thinning out their number in advance', I didn't expect this method at all!" watching the spectacle that was once a common occurrence on the battlefield, Commander Kalomovich yelled out with both astonishment and excitement mixed in his voice.

"With nowadays warfare being completely dominated by T-Dolls, we'd have almost forgot, but this is truly how the last two World Wars and a good part of the third was fought. Overwhelming your opponent through superior firepower." With both his hands folded before his chest, Commander Sekigun then showed off his knowledge as his glasses glinted off the light of the monitor.

"This is Eagle of Base 794. Base 601, Base 737, do you copy?"

"Reading you loud and clear, Advisor."

"Solid copy, go ahead, Advisor."

"We've got the green light. Please proceed as planned."

"Roger!"

"Tch, these damn maggots!" The shelling bombardment just now must have struck quite a hit in Hunter's pride as the one who hunts, instead right now she was the one being hunted and overwhelmed. Cursing out of anger, she quickly issued order for her troops to reassemble and begin the counterattack. Unbeknownst to her, however, right at this moment when her entire force is gathering toward the front gate, another group had already infiltrated the base.

* * *

Sangvis tactical base, Point 7D.

As a squadron of 5 Sangvis T-Dolls ran along the wall to get to the front gate, one of them suddenly got her core ripped out from behind by a mechanical hand, yet there was no one else beside them there. Sensing that something was off, they quickly turned around and in a blink of an eye,

Two got taken out by a single bullet each, square in the head.

Two got riddled with bullet holes at close range.

The last one got a knife driven into her chest twice, following with an upward slash which ripped along her core.

As the five Sangvis T-Dolls fell down on the ground, their assailant slowly appeared out of thin air.

"Hehe, check that out, new girl. I've got myself more kill count than yours." Saying with a wide grin, Ingram kicked over one of the fallen T-Doll to confirm that she's really down for the count.

"Ah! But I killed mine without using a single bullet, so that counts as double point for me!" with one leg, SOPMOD-II kicked the dead Sangvis T-Doll away and showed Ingram the core as her trophy.

Luckily, most of the Sangvis remaining troops have all gathered at the front gate with only a few stragglers left, they managed to avoid detection.

"You sure got a lot on your plate, huh, Commander." Standing next to M4A1, Eagle patted her on the shoulder as she could only sigh at SOPMOD-II's trigger happy and rather undisciplined nature.

With Eagle as the point man, M4A1, M4 SOPMOD-II, G36, Ingram and Skorpion, with only this small group they're tasked with infiltrating the base during the chaos to shut down the active defense system and open the gate from inside.

By increasing the output of his exo-suit, Eagle can expand the optical camouflage to cover an area of 1m range around him, concealing even the allies around him registered by the goggles. The plan was to sneak in quietly, but that plan nearly went up in smoke when Ingram and SOPMOD-II got a little too ahead of themselves and broke formation.

"Ingram, I've told you many times not to do anything that may jeopardize the mission. And that means you too, Ms SOPMOD." G36 stepped forward to reprimand her two comrades. Because of her bad eyesight, she always seems to be frowning or grimacing but in reality, she's just squinting very hard.

"Ms G36 is right, you know. It's not just the six of us here, but a lot are riding on our success in this. Let loose to your heart content once the real fight starts, but until then, exercise extra caution, got it?" after Eagle added on, both SOPMOD-II and Ingram nodded, with the latter being a little bit reluctant.

"Okay, I won't do it again."

"…Fine."

"Good, then let's continue the mission." Activating his optical camouflage, the group then proceeded with locating a control point that the can use to hack into the base's system. Moving while matching each other's pace, the group then arrived before a small room at the foot of the wall.

Digging her claws into the crack between the steel door and the wall, SOPMOD-II exerted a bit of force and pushed it aside, as her and M4A1 rushed into the room with their guns at the ready.

From the look of things, this room seems to be a control point in charge of this part of the base. These control points serve the same function as a secondary Command Center, where the one in control can issue order to all units and facilities part of the network. However, without a registered code or a master protocol, all access to the network will be denied by the main server. Gaining access the legal way was never the plan to begin with, anyway.

"Alright, I'll begin the hacking sequence now." Said M4A1 as she connected a plug cord from the port on her nape to the control panel.

"Then SOPMOD-II, please provide cover for her. In that meantime, Ms G36, Ingram and Skorpion, we'll proceed to causing a disturbance from within the enemy line."

"Roger!"

"Aww, I wanna kick some ass too!"

Without letting SOPMOD-II complain, the four quickly left the room and headed for the underground rail platform. After striking the enemy with a strong blow that leaves them in shamble, the next step to ensure one's victory would be to cut off their supply chain. Not only that, by taking out the rail platform they would deprive the base of its only chance to call for reinforcement.

However, either by coincidence or completely intentional, the moment they arrived at the rail platform, the Sangvis troops kept in reserves were being deployed to the surface. A miscalculation, the four quickly hid behind the cranes and prepared for a full blown firefight. But, much to their surprise, as soon as they finished deploying the Sangvis troops immediately turned on each other and opened fire.

"Hey! Why did they start turning on each other? Are Sangivs T-Dolls just wired to go complete bonker at a moment notice?" asked Skorpion from behind the crane.

"No idea. What I do know is that, this look like a free for all slaughter fest and I'm about to be a part of it!" yelling out in pure ecstasy, Ingram dived headfirst into the fray just like always, following by Skorpion as the duo began dismantling every Sangvis in sight.

"Ms G36, can I ask you to get a good look of all this from the air?"

"Affirmative." As G36 got her tactical drone into the air, Eagle continued to scan his surroundings trying to identify the exact cause of this in-fighting. He has a few ideas as to why, such M4A1 hacking into the system and tampered with these Sangvis troops' behavior. But he quickly eliminated such possibility for no matter what, the master protocol is required to grant access to the higher interfaces and settings.

Then out of left field, two trains bolted out from the underground tunnel at full speed like mad bulls, crushed all the Sangvis T-Dolls unfortunate enough to be on the track at that time, then when both suddenly braked the cars behind them got derailed and swung at the other two trains, rendering the entire rail platform inoperable.

"Now this is…curious." Was all Eagle could mutter while staring at the explosion, completely dumbfounded. At that moment, a radio call snapped him back to reality. The voice was of Commander Sekigun.

"Advisor, do you read me? What is going on in there? Why are the Sangvis killing each other?"

"I also haven't the slightest clue. However, we can use this to our advantage and speed this whole thing up. Proceed as planned, we'll now begin Phase 3 of the operation."

"Okay, roger that."

"Commander Kalomovich, the front gate should be opened at any time now. Have your Echelon at the ready to advance."

"Alright, I've been waiting for this!"

It was just as Eagle said, a few minutes later the front gate was opened as Echelon 1 and 601 quickly rushed in, eliminated the Sangvis force in the way and quickly took over the highwall. At the same time, Echelon 2 had split up and was now observing the situation from the chopper. At this rate, victory is only a matter of time. However, at the very next moment by the hand of just a single unit the situation was at a complete stalemate. Such is the overwhelming power of a Ringleader.

* * *

"What is the meaning of this!? Why is the IFF system messed up all of the sudden!?" inside the Command Center, the many holographic screens floating around Hunter were all displaying an 'Error' message as the main server seems to have encountered multiple system bugs all at once. As a combat model, Hunter shines the most when engaging in solo combat or pursuing and capturing enemy, so she was having a hard time making head or tail of this situation.

"The access configuration has been completely changed? But how? Tch, what now!?" turning to her left, Hunter looked upon a holographic screen to see that the control logic of the main gate and all artillery emplacements around the base was completely destroyed. Switching said screen to the camera feed, she saw the G&K troops waltz in through the front gate and blatantly treaded upon this sanctuary of hers.

"The nerve of these G&K maggots…" clenching her fist tightly, Hunter vented her anger out on the holographic projector. As she exited the main building, from underground an elevator slowly rose to the surface and riding atop it, was two imposing figures, the Walking Tank – Manticores.

"Prey should know their place, flat on the ground!" holding a pair of handguns in her hands, Hunter bolted off toward the front gate where her troops were both slaughtering each other and being slaughtered by the G&K troops.

The moment she arrived, with the two Manticores following suit behind, Hunter immediately regained her control authority over the units that gone berserk as they all turned their muzzles on the G&K troops. Then, by moving swiftly in-between her troops using them as blind spots against the enemy, with 5 consecutive shots she took down two forward Dummies.

"My forward Dummies just went down! It's the Sangvis Ringleader!" RPD, part of Echelon 601 and the one whose Dummies just got shot down, shouted to warn the others.

"Damn you, Sangvis scum!" DP28, also part of Echelon 601, quickly tracked down Hunter and shot an entire barrage worth of bullet toward her. Even then, none of the shot managed to hit home. As a Ringleader designed for combat, Hunter's mobility and agility was, similar to Executioner, beyond anything that the T-Dolls of G&K were used to dealing with. Even if DP28 wanted to think that she got the target locked down in her sight, Hunter's movement was so fast that her targeting module could not keep up.

With the situation in this sector taken care of for the time being, Hunter made a sharp turn and headed for a different sector.

"Kuh, sniper!" a .50 anti-material bullet missed her by a hair breadth and instantly shredded the Dragoon next to her into halves. From the forest thicket, NTW-20, part of Echelon 737 pulled the bolt on her sniper rifle as another bullet was loaded into the chamber. Sensing that, Hunter then sped up and began running in a zigzag pattern.

Just her speed alone was annoying enough, now that the target was running zigzag in the midst of a thousand other Sangvis, even as a sniper rifle T-Doll which boasted the highest accuracy, her module could only make rough estimation for her to lead the shot. As expected, every managed to hit anything but Hunter.

Coming close to a wall, with a tap of her feet Hunter leapt over it with ease and disappeared completely from NTW-20's sight.

"Tch, that damn bitch!" NTW-20 grunted loudly, causing Super SASS next to her to panic.

"Sniper Echelon, report."

"Sorry, Commander. We lost the target."

"No need to apologize. Prepare to reposition, we'll now begin our counterattack on the Sangvis Ringleader."

"But how, sir? Our targeting module cannot keep up with her movement." When NTW-20 asked back, Commander Sekigun smirked before answering.

"Because today, we've got a top-class spotter on the field."

* * *

"Hmp, in the end the G&K is just a bunch of small fried. While that shelling bombardment and this whole plan of theirs was commendable, I failed to see how Scarecrow and Executioner's defeat was theirs doing." After jumping into one of the underground passageway to avoid the sniper, Hunter was moving to a different sector to mount another ambush while checking on the situation with the two Manticore. From her calculations, by now they should have wiped out all the G&K troops at the front gate.

But no matter how many time, she cannot connect to their camera feed and while doing just that, the ceiling above her suddenly exploded.

"Nuh-" while managed to dodge the falling debris, the shockwave from the explosion knocked her into the wall. Quickly getting back on her feet, Hunter ran up the stair to avoid being buried alive and at the exact moment, another .50 anti-material bullet pierced through the small air vent on the wall, literally threading the needle and destroyed one of her two handguns.

"Impossible!" she exclaimed and continued moving. Travelling through the building, she continued to be assaulted regardless of whether her silhouette was visible through the window or she's currently behind a wall. From the frequency of the attack, there must be at least two assailants on her tail but the thing that she cannot comprehend was their pinpoint accuracy when just a moment ago, none of their shot could even graze her.

After another right turn, she should be at the hallway leading back to the Command Center. If she managed to reach it, she can send out the remaining Manticore in the hangar and turn this whole situation around. But as Hunter was running, a five-round burst was shot at the floor just in front of her, causing her to stop temporarily and with that chance, two anti-material bullets pierced through the wall and took away her legs.

And as if that wasn't enough, a final artillery shell struck the floor below of the building she was in, causing the entire structure to collapse and buried her under the debris.

"Kugh…" letting out a few coughs from the smoke and dust, Hunter pushed the debris on top of her aside, but her lower body was completely crushed. At that moment, she caught glimpse of the battlefield that was the front gate. Dozens of Sangvis troops, along with the two Manticores, all were reduced to nothing but scrap metal.

"Tell me, Hunter. How does it feel to become the prey?"

"…You!?" as Hunter looked up to where that voice was, standing there was a T-Doll with long pink hair. She wears cold expression that was similar to a scowl. The objective of rescue of this entire mission, her name was ST AR-15.

"What's so strange about this? Your own intel states that we're G&K T-Dolls that can conduct operation completely independent without a human Commander, doesn't it?"

"Cut the crap! How did you gain Sangvis access command!?" irritated at the tone of the one that she deemed as prey, Hunter yelled out of anger and frustration.

"I have no need to tell you. I simply changed the orders from within and plunged this entire base into chaos, although the assaults out there was beyond my expectation, they worked in my favor in the end." Continued talking in a tone devoid of any emotion, ST AR-15 jumped down from atop the debris and pointed her gun at Hunter.

"After all, if someone as calm and rational as yourself had hidden underground all this time, it'd have caused me a big headache, don't you think?" alas, Hunter finally realized where was it that she went wrong. Her biggest blunder yet, was from the very beginning.

"Don't tell me…you let yourself get caught on purpose!"

"On your own word, 'a true hunter choose silence'. Now you can stay silent forever, Sangvis scum." Finishing her sentence, ST AR-15 then pulled the trigger, ending the live of the one known as Hunter.

"However, this time, it seems, it was not me that was the hunter." Directing her words toward no one in particular, ST AR-15 then casted her eyes toward the building opposite from this one, across the courtyard. The underground passageway rigged with explosion, the deduction of Hunter's escape route and the final rifle burst which seized her movement, all was done by her.

However, the constant assault with pinpoint accuracy that driven Hunter into a vulnerable state, was something she could not pull off even with proper preparations. It is just as she said, while she was the one who claimed the trophy, the real hunter this time was someone else entirely.

Then as ST AR-15 turned around to meet up with M4A1 and SOPMOD-II, atop the roof of the opposite building, a figure slowly appeared out of thin air before leaving the place not long after.

* * *

_Sanctuary – an area where wild games consider it their home, a sort of haven where they can always feel safe. Most hunter will avoid treading upon such place as to not alert their prey. However, a master hunter can use this element to their advantage and corner the beast._

* * *

**While I really like the idea of multiple commanders just like in the official manga, this'll probably the only chapter where these two other will appear. Later on will only be cameo appearances**


	9. Chapter 9

**When you're already bone dry but still no AUG or TAC-50 from rescue event**

* * *

**Chapter 9: Night hunt**

* * *

G&K Base 794 of District S09, 2 days later.

A Ringleader eliminated along with her entire tactical base and the target of rescue successfully extracted, after the report about the operation was submitted, Helian had immediately smoothed things out with the top brass. As a result, all those who took part in the operation was commended greatly for their effort and triumph instead of being reprimanded. With the huge success of this operation, the mission to reclaim District S09 from the Sangvis' grasp has taken another big step forward.

However, that is still nothing to write home about. Thanks to the battle with Hunter, a great amount of combat data and with this making the third fight with a Sangvis Ringleader, both the Adjutant and Combat Advisor have gotten a clearer image of just what a Ringleader is capable of. Strike when the iron's still hot, after closer analysis and cross-reference with past combat data was done, a new training regime was devised.

* * *

Simulator Room No.2, within the virtual space.

A familiar scenery of a desolated street and many abandoned buildings lined on both sides, it was one of the urban area that they fought in during Operation Uproot. Today, using past battles as the premise, the T-Dolls are familiarizing themselves with some new, specialized equipment.

Inside one of the building, Skorpion along with her two Dummies had ran up the stair and stopped just outside one of the room. As the main body took out a black cylinder-shaped object and attached it onto the wall, after a brief moment the three of them who were already aiming down their sight then rushed into the room and cleaned house off everything inside with clockwork precision.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

At the same time, on the rooftop of the opposite building M14 and Mosin-Nagant appeared to be firing at random for all their shots were hitting the wall of the adjacent room. However, right afterward there were loud thudding sounds of something hitting the floor.

When Skorpion moved to that room and peeked inside to check, she then made a sign with her hand meaning 'kill confirmed'. Inside the room lied six Vespid bodies, with their pierced heads perfectly aligned with the bullet holes on the wall.

Not too far from there, another T-Doll team led by MG5 had infiltrated the department store through the underground garage. It was a complete darkness with countless wrecked cars everywhere, lending to the enemy even more opportunity to mount an ambush on them. Fortunately, they came prepared.

They split up, MG3 with SPAS-12 on the right, FNC, StG44 and Ingram on the left. Both sides then took out the same black cylinder-shaped object and threw it onto the ceiling. While aiming down their sight, after a brief moment of 5 seconds the position of the enemies hiding in the darkness suddenly became clear as day. Already memorized their position after another 5 seconds, the team then advanced and swiftly wiped out everything on the other end of their muzzles.

All of this would've been extremely hard or outright impossible to achieve without the new equipment that they had just received.

The first piece of equipment was the black cylinder-shaped object called a Pulse Beacon. Turn the red-painted end clockwise to enable, then with the magnetic lock on the other end the beacon can be attached to any surface long as there is trace of metal. Once deployed, the Beacon will emit a sonar pulse once every 5 seconds, which will reveal enemy position within a 12m range. It is thanks to this wonderful device that they were able to take out Hunter the way she least expected it.

The second piece was a new scope, with each T-Doll receiving a different kind suitable for their gun and role. While still fundamentally the same, these scopes have been modified to incorporate a digital interface, meaning they now function similarly to Tiger's visor and Eagle's goggle, although to a lesser extent. It was the scope that enabled the T-Dolls to see their enemy even when they're behind obstacle and visibility is poor, gaining them the upper hand in combat.

Standing next to the main terminal, Tiger closely observed the performance of each T-Doll in combat and at the same time making notes on their forte and shortcoming, on how to push their growth even further with his tablet. After analyzing the combat data with Hunter, he had noticed one downfall during that battle was the T-Dolls' incapability to keep up with Hunter's movement.

Part of the problem was because of their targeting module. Save for the elite and military-grown such as the AR Team, most T-Dolls are but civilian models receiving hardware upgrade to enable them combat capability. But at the end of the day, those hardwares are still but mass-produced model which pale in comparison to a Ringleader as each of them is a culmination of cutting edge technology.

The other half of the problem lies in the T-Doll's gears. The day after the raid, Tiger had made an inventory inspection on the armory. The equipment stored inside while in good condition, are mostly outdated. Compared to what they're up against on a daily basis, he could only thank the fact that Sangvis troops are just glorified shooting targets.

Since neither a module or a complete inventory upgrade is possible considering the budget, to increase the T-Doll's combat efficiency there is no other way but to take things into his own hand. Utilize the fullest ability what you're given, act and adapt accordingly to the situation, that is how it has always been.

As he was thinking about increasing the intensity for the next training session, Tiger then zoomed up the camera that was tracking a particular trio. While other T-Doll teams were spread out to eliminate the occupying troops, the three from the AR Team was already on their way toward the enemy Command Post.

With SOPMOD II as the point man, M4A1 taking care of the center and ST AR-15 acting as the markman, the three of them covered each other's back and easily plowed through the Sangvis troops that ambushed them on the way.

Before long, the trio had already arrived at the Command Post. From afar, M4A1 threw a Beacon onto the second floor of the building and had her two Dummies did the same with the nearby ruins. After 5 seconds, the position of the Jaguars lying in wait was completely revealed and the three immediately split up.

SOPMOD II made a sharp turn toward the two ruins and like always, she decimated the enemy hiding in ambush with the under barrel grenade launcher before moving on to gorily slaughter the stragglers.

Just as M4A1 approached closer to the building that is the Command Post, the Vespids Jaegers instantly popped out but were also instantly dropped by ST AR-15 who concealed herself among the trees. In that meantime, M4A1 had successfully entered the building and proceeded to thoroughly sweep the place off Sangvis troops.

Alas, the final obstacle appeared. Out of thin air, a squad of 6 Dragoons then materialized and immediately swarmed their closest target, ST AR-15.

"Tch!" clicking her tongue, AR-15 hid herself behind the tree while returning fire with her Dummies. Then alas, the final obstacle appeared. While AR-15 was being kept occupied by the Dragoons, a Scarecrow had materialized and immediately floated up to the third floor where M4A1 currently was.

"Even as a simulation, this bitch is annoying!" commanding her Dummies to divert the Dragoons away, AR-15 took three shots in rapid succession but all they hit was the window. Seeing her assailant had missed the opportunity, Scarecrow raised her hand as the three drones around her mowed down everything within range, be it friend or foe.

With one target eliminated, she turned her gaze toward the general direction of AR-15. Since she does not know the exact location, Scarecrow was about to do the same thing with the forest when two grenades flew straight at her.

In a nick of time, Scarecrow floated to one side to dodge and as soon as she did, from inside the building M4A1 popped up and shot the two grenades, detonating them prematurely. Taking the full brunt of two explosions at once, Scarecrow suffered severe damage and immediately dropped to the ground with a loud thud.

Taking the chance while the opponent was still in a state of shock from the impact, AR-15 took out the three drones and as the last nail on the coffin, M4A1 finished her off with a shot square to the head.

When Scarecrow was about to attack, AR-15's shots that missed intentionally had alerted M4A1 of the impending danger, prompting her to quickly find cover. Then when the enemy's attention was no longer on her, M4A1 has all the freedom she ever needs to move and act. For a Ringleader to fall for one of the oldest trick on earth, Tiger wondered if the combat data was insufficient.

Training scenario 502 finished. Ending simulation.

As Scarecrow's body dissolved back into computer data and disappeared, the main server also announced the ending of the simulation. Shortly afterward, the AR Team trio then regrouped as they all prepared to log out.

"That will be it for today's training session. The Logistic support teams will depart at 1715 so those whose names were on the list remember to wrap up all preparations before then and assemble at the helipad. Good work everyone and dismissed."

"Thank you for your guidance, sir!" giving a salute, the T-Dolls then exited the Simulation Room to return to their duty. While uploading the last batch of combat data onto the main server, Tiger glanced at the AR Team trio exiting the room.

There was SOPMOD II pouting a little because she can't harvest the Sangvis' limbs and organs, ST AR-15 reprimanding her for her antics, and M4A1 who have started to smile more often recently.

"_At least everything is coming along smoothly, Guess I'll hold back on that thought for now." _He thought. At that moment, his earpiece received a call from Eagle.

* * *

Around the same time, Logistic.

Having supervised the delivery of modification parts that Tiger ordered, he then confirmed and signed the paperwork before delivering it to the Logistic Officer.

"Wah, thank you for all your help, Mr Eagle. At first I seriously thought that I'll be stuck here for the rest of the week." Stretching her shoulders with a big yawn, a girl with orange hair thanked Eagle with a big smile. She is Kalina, the Logistic Officer of G&K Base 794.

Before he and Tiger accepted the contract and become this place's Adjutant and Combat Advisor, when the Commander position was still vacant, she was the one keeping this entire base functioning properly. From Logistics to handling Secretary work, everything was handled by her and her alone, which might explain why she was nearly passing on to the next life during their first encounter.

"Well, as Adjutant and Advisor secretary works are actually under our duty and jurisdiction, so I'd feel bad having someone else do all the work." Eagle replied, sorting out a stack of document files before putting them into the respective drawer.

"Aaah! Why can't more people in power be like you two?! At the many bases I've worked at before coming here, all they did was make me write combat report and feed me some strange rainbow colored liquid! I'm not a machine, you know!" and all of the sudden, she just started ranting. He felt that this will take a while so Eagle poured a cup of tea for Kalina when the terminal received an incoming transmission.

"Oh, it's you, Mr Eagle. Perfect timing, there's something urgent I wanted to discuss with you. It's about the scouting mission from the other day." Eagle then answered the transmission, and it was Helian.

"Ah, the scouting of the area intended for settlement conversion, yes? The scouting report mentioned a large number of Sangvis troops in the area."

"Correct. Because their station is rather far away, we were careless in handling the situation. Just yesterday, there have been report of Sangvis attack on the construction site and now the contractor side intended to withdraw the contract."

"In order to negotiate with them, we will need more exact information as evidence. Get into contact with the scouting team and acquire their newest intel. This is a covert mission and we want to keep the collateral damage at lowest possible, however you're authorized to use lethal force should the situation require. That will be all." Transmission ended.

Right away, Eagle relayed the situation back to Tiger. While the settlement conversion doesn't concern them much since that's Internal Affairs' things, the presence of Sangvis troops is a huge concern and can cause many inconveniences in the future if left be.

Since it's a covert mission, smaller the team the better but at the same time they must still be able to fend off the enemy should it comes down to that. After some discussions and arrangements, the team composition has been decided.

* * *

Time check 2100, Sector 1.

After arriving at the rendezvous point, coming to greet Tiger was a white haired T-Doll with a petite figure.

"G-greetings, Adjutant. I believe this is our second time talking in person like this, I am MP5. It is an honor to be working with you, Adjutant." Despite stuttering a little at the start, MP5 managed to recover and gave an exemplary salute.

"Greeting and at ease. While I have already read the scouting report, what can you tell me about the current situation?" giving a quick salute back, Tiger then immediately get down to the main point.

"Yes sir. After the Sangvis attacked, the scouting team has been on constant surveillance of their every movement. Ever since yesterday, while there has been no new major movement, their station has relocated about 2kms closer to the construction site."

"In order to gather information more efficiently and to avoid enemy's detection, the scouting had split up and is currently exercising radio silence so I'll be your guide for this mission."

"Very well, then lead the way, MP5."

"Yes sir!"

Thus, the duo departed. The day before yesterday, before assigning the mission Tiger had checked the satellite map and noticed that this sector is just adjacent to the one where he and Eagle first gathered intel on Ingram's unit so he actually has some idea as to the Sangvis's large number, and from the top of his head it must be related to the extra intel that he gathered.

Moving under the cover of the night, with MP5 guiding the way Tiger took care of scanning the area ahead for enemy presence. Not only is this area now littered with Sangvis forces, they are comprised of only armored units.

The armored vanguard Aegis, while armed with only melee weapon is harder a nut to crack than anything else. The heavy firepower Nemeun, about as fast as a snail but their energy cannons hit harder than a mad bull.

"Let's find go around. There are about two squads patrolling the area up ahead."

"Right." On Tiger's suggestion, the two then looked for another way. With the scouting team currently split up to keep a close watch on Sangvis' activity in the area at all time, there are a total of 3 rendezvous points corresponding with 3 members of the team. After making their way around the patrol squads, they arrived at an elevated ground overlooking the construction site, distance 400ms away.

"Report, MP5 has reached the destination."

"Looks like things are going smoothly. We were a bit worried whether this mission was too much for you." When MP5 called on the radio, on the other side of the line MG5 answered back with a calm but resounding voice.

"Heheh, it's all thanks to Adjutant's help. I will also be careful."

"Thank you for lending us a hand, Adjutant. I hope MP5 isn't pulling you down."

"Don't be. She's pulling her own weight and has been plenty useful."

"That's good to hear. So have you found the scout in the area?"

"Um…I do not know where she is. Maybe she's hiding herself?" MP5 replied while straining her eyes trying to look in the dark. Seeing that there are at least dozen spots that she could be hiding in around their position, Tiger then asked.

"Who is the member in charge of this area?"

"That would be Walther 2000, sir."

"Walther 2000, you say. Then how about this?" Leaving both MP5 and MG5 confused, Tiger turned off the sound dampening and started stomping his foot on the ground in a sequential order. And after a while, the two realized that he was sending out Morse signal.

— . . . . / . . . . — / — — — — — / . . . . . / — — — — — / — — — —.

At first everything was silent with the only sound being the night wind. But about a minute later, whoever that encoded message was meant for must have heard it for they got their reply.

— — — — — / . . . . — / — — — — — / . — — — — / . . . . — / — — . . .

And jumped down from atop the tree was figure cladded in black. The color of her hair was akin to the color of the night, but her eyes, those red pupils shone brightly even in the dark. A domineering, but also mesmerizing crimson gaze.

Walking up to MP5 and Tiger, the figure gave a quick salute.

"I salute you, Adjutant. I am Walther 2000, but you may call me simply as WA or Walther."

"Greeting and at ease, Walther. So, it's you huh? The perfect weapon of the perfect hitman."

"Hmp, of course I am, the one and only. But, to think there's still someone who knows about him in this day and age."

"Everyone in our line of work knows of him. While many now consider him to be no more than a myth, a large number still see him as a source of inspiration. Personally, I'm more interested in his efficiency in the field."

Once again, the conversation between the two totally escaped MG5 and MP5, especially the former. As the leader of her own squad and an experienced fighter, MG5 knows about her comrade more than anyone else. But now, seeing WA2000 who is bad with both group and her own words open up about herself like this, MG5 felt both admiration and a tinge of jealousy toward Tiger.

After that short conversation, Tiger received the scouting report from WA2000 then as the two were about to depart for their next destination, MP5 rummaged through her bag and took out something for WA2000.

"Here, Ms WA. Chocolate ice cream specially prepared by Ms G36."

"Hm, much appreciated. But, don't you dare tell a soul about this!"

"Right, your secret is safe with me." MP5 answered while making a gesture of zipping her mouth tight.

* * *

According to WA2000, there will be a communication relay station on the way to the next check point and they will have to take over it in order to contact the next member. So once again, the two was on their way.

Sangvis communication relay station.

As the two squads of 5 Aegises each were about to finish their 13th patrol round for the night, a machinegun barrage suddenly assaulted them. Turning to the direction where the barrage came from, the Aegises then brought up their shields and slowly advanced forward. Limited to only their electric mace, unless they get closer the Aegises have no other mean to harm Tiger. But they were not his main concern.

Spotting the presence of enemy, the 4 Nemeums that had carefully concealed themselves on a vantage point overlooking the relay station then stood up and began charging their cannons. The enemy had taken the bait, just as planned.

Seeing the bright blue light emitting from their barrels, moving through the trees without making even the slightest sound MP5 then threw the Beacons toward the direction of the Nemeums as the sonar pulse quickly highlighted their exact location.

"_Found them!" _aiming through her new scope, MP5 could see clearly the position of each Nemeum as she approached from behind and unloaded hundred bullets on the unprotected parts behind the frontal armor.

While labelled as mobile artillery unit, the Nemeum's heavy armor is focused only to the front because the army had to compromise on the amount of armor plating for the sake of both mobility and production cost. Even then, their mobility is still nonexistent and they are extremely prone to being flanked.

"I did it…I actually did it…I took down four armored units on my own!" the first time ever, a feat that shouldn't even be possible for T-Doll of her type let alone herself. Feeling a slight overload in her DigiMind, MP5 started jumping up and down while shouting excitedly until Tiger after cleaning up the Aegis had to come up and snap her back.

They took over the relay station and after contacting the second member of the scouting team, destroyed the equipment.

"Oh! It's MP5 and Adjutant! Welcome, welcome!" the coordinate they got wasn't very far, and when they arrived an extremely chipper T-Doll in a nun outfit and two cat ears hidden under her hood came out to greet them.

"Hello, Ms P7."

"Hello, hello. It must have been a tough journey for you two. Come, come! Let's sit down and have some snacks!" saying that, P7 served each of them a round golden cake. MP5, a little surprised but still received the cake with gratitude and immediately took a bite, whereas Tiger was rather skeptical so he took off his visor and gave the cake a quick whiff.

"P7, what ingredients did you use for this ca-" Tiger asked, and he was interrupted when MP5 forcefully spat out everything in her mouth.

"W-what is this…!"

"Hahaha! It's my tasty cake!"

"Stop joking around! I've eaten lots of cakes before and none tasted like this!" obviously being pranked, MP5 retorted angrily.

"Tee-hee, this is a recipe I learned from Ms 56-1. It's a local specialty from her homeland. An exquisite delicacy made from five types of nut, eaten only on a full moon every year. But…since I've forgotten the recipe, I just substituted them with give type of pepper and cheese powder. And a scoop of strawberry ice cream, the very last one at that."

"This is no longer delicacy and already in the realm of chemical weapon." Tiger remarked, playing the straight man.

"P7 is a real prankster. But! I still have my mission, I must not let my emotion take over!" recomposing herself, MP5 took a small cold carton and handed it to P7.

"What's this? It's red…tomato juice? Is G36 trying to make me drink that horrid stuff again? Like I would fall for that."

"Do not worry. I have a straw here, so just take a sip. You can turn it down if you really don't like it." While reluctant, P7 still decided to take the juice carton. As per MP5 suggestion, she took a small sip through the straw and immediately regretted doing so.

"Pfft! Cough, cough! The hell is this?! Cough, it's even worse than tomato juice! Cough, cough, my throat, so spicy!" feeling an unbearable burn in her throat, P7 got a throwing fit as she started rolling on the ground. Whatever was inside that carton, it sure is effective.

"It's a vegetable juice squeezed from a type of chilly called 'Viper'. A single sip has the effect of a tear gas grenade. Ms said to let you drink it should you prank me with weird stuff."

"She also said to let you have this tomato juice if you behave."

"As if! Don't even think about making me drink that stuff again! I want ice cream! Strawberry ice cream!"

"Have you forgotten? You used your last scoop to prank me." Hearing MP5's words, realization finally hit P7. All that effort put into pranking others, in the end the one who got pranked was herself. Taking out the carton of tomato juice MP5 dangled it before P7 as the latter's eyes wavered between refusing and giving in.

"Seeing as there are no other source of liquid that could possibly help you in this situation, especially out here, this 'horrid stuff' is your only choice." Seeing the prankster before her taking too long, MP5 then went to fetch the scouting report and just before leaving the relay station, left the carton right at the doorstep.

* * *

On the way to the next check point, MP5 contacted MG5 to update her on the current progress of the operation. With both report from WA2000 and P7 acquired, this should be the last check point, manned by MG4.

However, it seems she is away on an urgent mission and the last check is currently manned by two other T-Dolls. Since it's someone they do not know in advance, MG5 has told them the password to identify each other. She even stressed them to get her immediately should those two misbehave.

Even bigger troublemaker and with two of them this time, MP5 thought as it made her even more nervous.

Arriving at the final check point, MP5 looked around her to make sure that no one's there before saying the password.

"Gew Elf!"

And as soon as she said that, there were multiple rustle coming from a bush just ahead of them.

"Ugh…"

"Rest. Just take a rest…" but it was not the right response, so MP5 then tried the password again and this time, the character in the bush finally responded correctly with a clear reluctance in her voice.

"O ye mortal who summoned this elf by her true name, n-name thy wish!"

"Sheesh! You're the one who came up with that embarrassing code. Why didn't you say it yourself?"

"The plan has always been to make you say it. What a blast."

Almost instantly, two figures could be seen getting out of the bush, with the smaller one probably the one behind the password giving a thumb up.

"You stupid dormouse. I should have stuffed your head into a barrel of Sauerkraut last night."

"Um…Sorry, but are you the T-Dolls filling for MG4?" while these two do appear to be G&K T-Dolls, MP5 was still unsure if they're the one she's supposed to meet so she then spoke up and was met with an unnerving stare from taller T-Doll with blue hair and a black beret adorned with the badge of German KSK.

"Judging from your weapon, you must be MP5. We've been through some hardships thanks to you."

"That's right. We can't let her off just like that."

"Ack, hold on! What are you going to do to me?!" out of nowhere, the two unfamiliar T-Dolls began pressuring and intimidating MP5.

"And the hell are you supposed to be?" seeing Tiger stepping in to shield MP5 and face her, the taller T-Doll then raised her face slightly to look at him, still refused to back down.

"Just so you know, this is all her idea. I'm just being coerced into this." Whereas the smaller T-Doll with not sure if just very curly or outright messy hair had already submitted herself and sold her ally out. Eyeing the two of them, especially the weapon they carry, Tiger then spoke up.

"Just a mercenary hired to do some cleaning up. So, what kind of grudge does the pinnacle of German's engineering and Kraut Space Magic have with the world most widely used gun?" neither have identified their name yet, but with just a glance Tiger was able to identify them. Pinnacle of German's engineering, the HK 416 and Kraut Space Magic, the G11.

"H-hey, 416. This guy isn't normal. What do we do?" having her identity seen through and revealed, G11 started flustering but HK 416 was unfazed.

"Stop it! Both of you! Just how petty can you be? You're always making things difficult!" sensing the rising tension even through the radio, MG5 quickly intervened.

"Hmph. This was none of our business to begin with. We were only back at HQ for our check-ups, then you just up and decided to drag us out to this godforsaken place." HK 416 retorted, not even bothered to mince her words.

"You're always diddling around, doing nothing to earn your pay. If you still have a problem with me, I'll ask Ms Helian to kick your asses out."

"W-what should we do, 416? MG5 is pulling this card again."

"She can't threaten us. With 45's arrangement, we can have free meals everywhere."

"Oh, right. It's the same no matter where we go."

The quarreling between MG5 and HK 416 then went on and on and was only broken up when Tiger pulled out his tomahawk.

"416, look out!" G11 shouted as Tiger charged with abandon toward 416. Reacting a heartbeat too late, 416 turned around to an Aegis swinging its electric mace at her.

Bashing the mace away with his shield, Tiger then swung his tomahawk downward with all his might, splitting the Aegis head open.

"Our position has been compromised. MG5, where's a safe place that we can take temporary shelter?"

"The construction site, sir. There's a material storehouse there that you can use to take defensive action."

"Alright, have P7 and WA2000 withdrawn from the area immediately. We'll lure the Sangvis to the construction site and deal with them there."

"Hey, who died and let you be in char-" while the current situation certain required quick thinking and decision-making, HK 416 was annoy by the fact that she's being ordered around instead of being the one giving order.

"Pick up your weapon and move your ass, soldier of so wahr mir Gott helfe!" Tiger's shout overwhelmed HK 416 completely not just in volume but also the authority presented in it. Gritting her teeth, she signaled G11 as the two followed Tiger and MP5, making their way back to the construction site.

Having their cover blown, not only those that are chasing them but the four now also have to dispatch the alerted enemies along the way. Fortunately, the moment they arrived at the construction site Tiger had also just emptied his last magazine.

After the four of them got inside, Tiger then performed a quick scan to get a grasp on the enemy's number. The enemies that they dispatched along the way were quite a number, but that still amounted to nothing against what they will soon face, for his visor spotted the silhouette of a Manticore. Isn't that just lovely?

"So what's our plan now, Adjutant? Without AP rounds, we can't possibly hope to take them out." MP5 voiced her concern. Both HK 416 and G11's gaze was also on him. And his answer while appropriate considering the circumstances, was still a surprise to the three of them.

"It's simple. We run."

A short time later, the swarm of Sangvis had arrived at the construction with the Manticore leading the way. With its massive arachnid-like limbs, the Manticore tore down the storehouse's giant steel door with ease. But by then, there was no one left inside the storehouse, only an opened back door.

Realizing that their target had escaped, the Aegises then advanced forward since it was clear which direction their target had gone to. Since they were all too hung up on simply pursuing the target, none of them noticed the strange yellow gas that was filling up inside the storehouse, and an inconspicuous blinking red light tucked away in the corner.

Getting a fair distance away from the storehouse, Tiger then raised up a detonator and pushed the button. Receiving the signal, the blinking red light with a small C4 attached to it then exploded and following that, the yellow flammable gas. In an instant, the storehouse and everything inside was engulfed in a raging firestorm.

"And now, we wait." Letting down his shield, Tiger then contacted Eagle called in the B team on standby to clean up the rest. While the latter has been following his coordinate and monitoring since the start of the mission, with a beacon this big there was just no way that they could miss it.

Hearing him say that, the three T-Dolls could finally feel relaxed. Suddenly, MP5 then faced the other duo and took something out form her bag.

"This, Ms G36 originally prepared this for Ms MG4. As a token of gratitude, please have it." MP5 gave them the ice cream that G36 prepared for MG4. G11 was the one to receive the box and after nibbling on a small scoop, instantly gobbled down the entire thing.

"Th-this is my favorite rum-flavored ice cream! Dammit, guess I'm staying after all!"

"You aren't a person of principle, are you, dumbass?!"

"Of course I am! My principle is 'Wherever G36 goes, I go'!"

Afterward, a chopper was sent down for pick up and each party went their separate way. That night, the scouting reports were delivered in time to Helian to negotiate with the contractor. Mission accomplished, but the Sangvis threat in District S09 still remained. They still have a long way ahead of them, but at least everything is coming along smoothly. Only time will tell what the future has in store for them.

* * *

_**'The quarreling between MG5 and HK 416 then went on and on and was only broken up when Tiger pulled out his tomahawk.'**_

**Having written this line, I still giggle every time. **


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: They who do not exist**

* * *

Letting out a really long yawn, Tiger held onto the side of the sink while stretching his arms, making his entire body shivered slightly much like that of a feline. With the toothbrush and paste in each hand, he began his morning hygiene routine.

The previous night.

"Is something still troubling you, Mr Tiger?" Asked Helian, seeing the frown on his face. The mission that he had just carried out, 'obtain the newest recon intel to reassess the Sangvis threat in Sector 1 and eliminate them if necessary' was to give G&K a better hand in negotiating with the construction contractor. As per his modus operandi, he more than got the job done. And just like the very first mission from Kryuger, this time also he discovered yet another secret that should have perished in the flame.

"I could be careless about this whole settlement conversion since construction inspection isn't why I was hired." He then plugged the earpiece into the terminal and transferred a data file over to Helian.

"But this, is anything but construction-related." The data file he had just transferred over was a copy of several blueprints on firearm. Compared to what normally seen used nowadays by law enforcements and your run of the mill guerillas, they are definitely more advance.

"Guns don't kill, but rather those who pull the trigger. Is Kryuger even aware of what or who he's shaking hand with?"

"…Of course. We've had our hunch, and now this only serves to solidify it. Thank you Mr Tiger, with this we've gained yet another Ace in the hole. Worry not, when the time comes, this incident will surely be brought into light."

"You have been of great help to us, so rest assure we will do everything on our end to make sure that you can continue to do so. Good night, Mr Tiger."

That was the conversation they had last night. This isn't the first time something like this has happened, in fact in this line of work it is quite frequent. Whenever his unit is hired by a client for a retrieval mission, they would always return with more than just what was requested, a little 'extra' intel.

Normally, Tiger never concern himself with these matters since it is neither the place nor problem to poke his nose in. So after the mission, the intel would be handed over to the client since they have little use for it. If the client can understand that they are here simply to do their job and not to meddle, both parties will go their separate way and perhaps they will work together again in the future. If they don't and start to get jumpy, well let's just say it's another customer they won't be meeting twice.

This time, however, it is a matter that can affect his work so it is a matter of concern to him. What use would a construction contractor have with those blueprints? The world is already down in the slump as is, can't have a bunch of amateurs running around with guns now, can we? But since Helian said to leave these things to her and since Kryuger is already keeping tab on the contractor, guess he can only leave it to them and focus on his work.

Running his fingers through his bed hair, Tiger then pulled open the curtain to let some light in and appeared outside the window was a face.

"Morning to you, Adjut-" greeted SOPMOD-II, but before she could finish her sentence, Tiger had, both literally and figuratively, pulled her through the window with an Iron Claw.

"Before that, how about you explain yourself, huh?"

"I came to play, of course!"

"Do you have idea what time it is right now? And we have doors for reason, so why the window?"

"Because a certain sister told me the window is the best way for a sneak attack. Ah! But I can't tell you who it was, though."

"No need to, I can already tell exactly who." Saying that, a certain black haired T-Doll whose behavior is just as unpredictable as this one right here came to mind.

"Eeeh?! Adjutant is a mind reader?!" all the sudden, SOP-II then broke free from Tiger's grip with ease and threw a kick straight at his chest. Tiger then blocked the kick with his palm, which SOP-II then used as a foothold to perform a retreat somersault.

"I'll have to apologize to that sister later then. But for now, Adjutant, let's play!" even after all this talk, she still insisted on playing. Tiger knitted his browns together then turned his body and got into a fighting stance.

"Guess a simple scolding wasn't enough, I'll have to make you listen the hard way." Seeing that, SOP-II immediately bloomed into a bright smile, almost as bright as the sun.

"Yahoooo! Then here I come, Adjutant!" like a bullet, SOP-II rushed straight at Tiger throwing out a flurries of thrust with her claws. Turning his body sideway to make harder to score a hit, Tiger deflected the claw thrusts then transitioned into a counter uppercut at her abdomen.

His punch is not light by any stretch, in fact once in a bar fight Tiger had knocked out an opponent twice as big as him with a single right jab. But that time it was merely a human of flesh and bone, this time his opponent is a military-grade T-Doll, one who at least knows how to fight hand-to-hand to boot.

On top of her military-grade frame, at the moment the uppercut landed SOP-II had bent her body backward, completely mitigating the attack. Like a spring, she then sprung back up and this time, attacked with a kick. Not letting her overwhelm and push him back into a defensive state, Tiger quickly dodged the kick and retaliated with a roundhouse.

As expected, still being airborne after that missed kick SOP-II had no other option but to take the roundhouse so she quickly retracted her limbs and curled up into a defensive posture. The roundhouse kick landed, and SOP-II was sent flying. Hitting the wall, she dropped down and quickly recomposed herself, but Tiger was already throwing out his next punch, this time with the prosthetic arm.

The punch stopped right in front of SOP-II as her hair was blown up by the wind pressure of it. This should be enough as a reminder for her, Tiger thought as he moved his arm away. But that face in front of him was still smiling, if not even brighter.

The same expression but she felt like a completely different person from when she was throwing those thrusts and kicks around. All the sudden, SOP-II then wrapped her arms around Tiger's neck and clung to him completely.

"Hahahahaha! As I thought, Adjutant is the same! Finally, finally, I've found you!"

"Hey, you felt it too, don't you? A feeling swelling up inside, that 'impulse' when you struck down the Sangvis. Soppo and you, even if our bodies are no longer the same, we just can't get enough of it!" She said, probably referring to the similarities that they share.

"Like I said…Get, out!" his temper finally snapped. Peeling SOP-II off of him by grabbing the back of her collar, he threw her out of the room like a misbehaving puppy and shut the door behind her.

"What a total headache…" rubbing his temples, Tiger then grabbed his shirt and wrapped up with the morning routine. He then grabbed the tablet and left the room, and the moment he stepped out of the door, there was SOP-II waiting at the very same spot where he threw her out.

* * *

Command Center.

When Tiger entered the room, three pairs of eyes were on him, probably because of the tail that is following behind him. First was Eagle, trying to figure what's the deal with this. The second and third was from M4A1 and ST AR-15 who understood the situation instantly.

"SOP-II! Are you bothering Mr Tiger again?!" asked M4A1.

"I'm not! Adjutant agreed to play with me and since we're heading in the same direction anyway, I'm just following him!" SOP-II retorted, acting as if that stunt earlier never happened.

"I'm sorry that you have to go along with her antics, sir. This girl got…more than a few screws loose in her head." Dragging SOP-II away from Tiger, ST AR-15 then bowed her head to apology.

"Can you put like a leash on her or something?" when Tiger asked, AR-15 shook her head regretfully.

"Either the cord would snap or you'd get dragged along with her. We've tried all known method but unfortunately…"

"Haaa…Alright, let's save this discussion for another time. Eagle, the mission briefing."

The five of them then gathered around the table as Eagle turned on the terminal.

"With Hunter defeated, the G&K has managed to advance their front and regained a large portion of District S09, including a human settlement. However, our mission this time is beyond that, as in the AO is just right on the edge of the reclaimed territory."

"According to information acquired by Ms AR-15, there are files hidden in District S09 concerning the Sangvis's important plans. The G&K has dispatch a T-Doll team to investigate and our mission is to make sure they get there safely."

Eagle then swiped his finger on the tablet as the terminal screen turned to the T-Doll's profiles which were…completely blank.

"As for the T-Doll team in question, the only info we received with the briefing is that they're called Squad 404, and nothing else. Basically a ghost squad." But it seems this team isn't so 'ghost' after all since M4A1, SOPMOD-II and ST AR-15 all flinched slightly at the mention of that name.

"Squad 404…" M4A1 muttered.

"You know them?" when Tiger asked, she nodded back.

"We…had quite few run-ins with them in the past. The relationship between us is rather tense, especially between big sis M16 and HK416." This time, Tiger raised his brows upon hearing a name he had just heard the night before. So those two are part of a ghost squad huh, he thought. Now that he recalled, they did mention returning to HQ for a check-up, which would make sense since as a ghost squad they're not assigned to any base.

"Never knew you guys to have quite a history with each other. And M16, she's the last member of your team, right? Still no contact from her whatsoever?"

"Unfortunately, yes…" M4A1 answered, drooping her shoulders. Just when he thought that this girl had gained a bit of confidence, she returned to being the timid girl like when he assigned her as the Commander.

"Worrying about something won't make it go away, M4."

"AR-15!" hearing those harsh words when M4A1 was already feeling down, SOP-II was about to step in when ST AR-15 shook M4A1's shoulder strongly.

"M16 knows what she's doing, she will not die that easily. So while she's still fighting out there, how about you shape up and stop brooding about it! We will find her M4, together." the moment when her comrade needs a consolation the most, ST AR-15 instead gave M4A1 a reprimand.

"…Right, of course we will. Thank you, AR-15." M4A1 responded, placing her hand on ST AR-15's. She appears cold and harsh, but that's only because she's bad with expressing herself. In a way, this is AR-15's way of giving consolation.

* * *

District S09, Sector 4. Time check: 0736.

Sector 4 – compared to other sectors, this was one of the less densely populated areas, a peaceful countryside where much of nature was retained. However, when the ELID contaminated Earth's atmosphere, rendering much of the land inhabitable while also completely altered the weather system, this sector was one of the first to be ravaged by it. Even after the war broke out, no army dared set foot here due to the contaminated air and, according to rumors and gossips, a few ELID-infected mutants that still roam the area.

Either through pure irony or the hand of fate at work, the sole reason this place managed to remain unscathed by the flame of war, is because it was already devastated a long time ago.

According to the intel received from HQ, Squad 404 has gone dark 49 minutes ago, their last known location is a small riverside town up north and that will be their first destination. After dropping off at a basecamp set up at the very edge of the reclaimed territory, the G&K Echelons then split up and advanced forward, this time with M4A1 taking the helm.

Moving along the road, they came up on a large bridge and on the other side was the riverside town in the distance. Immediately, a scouting drone was deployed into the air to scout out the situation ahead.

Two squads of Vespid could be seen guarding on the bridge and waiting on the other riverbank were three to five Jaguars. Seems they intend to collapse the entire bridge with mortar the moment the Vespid squads failed to fulfill their duty.

They could go about this in two different ways. Storm the bridge and quickly cross before the mortar drops, or take out the Jaguars first then cross the bridge. For the former, with their coordination and firepower it is definitely possible to pull off, however it also contains a high risk of the Jaguar laying down the mortar sooner than expected. The latter, they do not have a good angle on the Jaguars and firing recklessly will do them no good, finding a way around is also out of the question.

Since Tiger has relinquished the command authority to M4A1, for this mission both him and Eagle are simply her generals and nothing more. The call will be hers to made, not them. Now, how will their Commander react?

"Mr Tiger, please move the drone closer toward the river."

"Roger." On M4A1's command, Tiger flew the drone lower and hovered above the frozen river. Through the shared camera feeds, M4A1 observed the frozen solid water for a bit before issuing her next order.

"Mr Eagle, please take your team and cross the river. The water should be frozen solid enough to walk on but please proceed cautiously."

"Copy that. Alright team, on me."

"Mr Tiger, have you team take position at the bridge. As soon as the Jaguars are taken care of, we will storm the bridge."

"Affirmative."

Eagle's team then slid down the slope and began making their way across the river. Just like M4A1 said, the water is frozen solid enough that even an adult can comfortably walk on it. By moving under the shadow of the bridge, they avoided detection from the enemy and got to the other riverbank safely.

Eagle, Springfield and StG44 then set up their post on two separate buildings with a good view on both the Jaguars and the bridge, while Ingram and P7 sneaked closer and hid themselves behind the car wreckages.

"Everyone got their target?"

"All set!"

"Same here!"

"Alright, firing in 3…2…1…"

Soon as the sound of gunfire was heard, the Vespid squads on the bridge were alerted and immediately turned around, unbeknownst that they have fallen right into a trap. With Tiger, SPAS-12 and their shield in the lead, the machinegun section followed suit behind and easily shredded the Vespids.

All two Echelons have successfully crossed the bridge, but by now the Sangvis force in town must have heard the gunfire and is probably heading over. Eagle then hopped onto the roof to keep a lookout. As he was scanning the area through the rifle scope, through the window of a building about 3 blocks away there was a hand waving at him.

"_What the…" _he thought to himself when the hand took out a small mirror and reflected the sunlight at him in sequential order. A message.

"_Enemy…North…North…East…" _quickly realizing the message, Eagle then deployed his scouting drone into the air and flew it toward the direction. From a single scan, all that Eagle could see through the camera was only Sangvis's signature.

"Commander, the Sangvis have sniffed us out and is already en route from North North-East."

"What's their number?"

"About one battalion, largest group is currently moving through the avenue with the smaller ones flooding the smaller roads. At the pace they are moving, in 30 minutes they will have us completely surrounded."

An entire battalion, roughly 500 Sangvises. Simply after hearing that, some T-Dolls started to get butterflies in their stomach. But M4A1 was completely calm as her DigiMind had already formulated a plan.

"In order to reach our current position, the avenue troop will have to pass through the town square and that's where we make our stand. We gather them all into one place and take them all out in one fell swoop."

"Ingram, PPSh-41, StG44 and G36 will form a team, SOP-II, AR-15 and Skorpion will follow me. We will intercept the two smaller groups and get them to follow us."

"Mr Tiger, set up the town square suitable for defensive action, use anything and everything at your disposal. Mr Eagle, have everyone else take position in the surrounding buildings. All units, move out!"

"Roger!"

While all the heated and intense actions were about to take place, inside the building three blocks away from there, the mysterious figure who messaged Eagle about the Sangvis's movement gave one last glance from inside the shadow before disappearing without a trace.

"Thanks for the assistance, everyone, and have fun~"

* * *

**So, are all you boys and girls ready for Singularity? I've stocked up on anti-depressant so I'm all good.**


	11. Chapter 11

**So, how did all you boys and girls fare in Singularity? Got your hoxy? Bone dry on resources? Acquired depression? All of the above?**

* * *

**Chapter 11: Bad blood**

* * *

Sector 4, Riverside city. Time check: 0805.

Hearing the sound of gunfire, all Sangvis dolls currently in the area had immediately regrouped and headed toward the direction enmassed. Like an army of ants marching toward their prey, their number was that of an entire battalion and just like how ants fight, they intended to surround and overwhelm their target with sheer number.

With the main troop marching through the avenue, the smaller ones advanced toward the G&K's position through the smaller alleyways.

"Hey, Sangvis scum!" suddenly on their march, a roaring voice caught their attention.

"Eat this!" from atop the roof, SOPMOD-II laughed loudly before launching a 40mm grenade right in the center of the Sangvis troop. At the same time another explosion could be heard on the other side of the avenue.

"Ms M4, we've got their attention." Reported G36.

"Got it. Everyone, just as we planned fall back to the town square!" on M4A1's command, both the AR and the other team immediately retreated. The moment the G&K T-Dolls were within their field of vision, the Sangvis dolls completely abandoned their original plan and is dead set of pursuing the enemy before them instead.

With their mobility, leaping from one rooftop to another, the AR team easily outran the Sangvis. They would make some distance away then stopped temporarily to cull down the Sangvis's number and once the enemies have caught up, continued to fall back. This tactic wouldn't have been possible if there was a Ringleader on site giving out orders, so at least they got that going for them.

The town square was already within sight. From afar, M4 could see some sort of makeshift barricade created from old car wrecks, but knowing Tiger he definitely has much more in store for the Sangvis.

"M4, over here!" from one of the building Skorpion waved at the AR team, signaling them to quickly take cover. Both teams have safely retreated, now to wait for the right moment. As they hid themselves in the shadow, the battalion of Sangvis soon came into view. Marching through the street with their guns at the ready, they're on the lookout for another ambush from the surrounding buildings. But often time, when your head is in the cloud you tend to forget what's on the ground.

Approaching closer to the town square, the Sangvis doll in the very front walked right over a tripwire. From the four Cryo grenades attached, a giant cloud of blue smoke then assaulted and instantly froze the Sangvis dolls unfortunate enough to be within range.

"SPAS-12, now!"

"Okay, Adjutant!"

On Tiger's signal, him and SPAS-12 then kicked the two car wrecks that were thought to be the barricade toward the frozen Sangvis dolls. After all, the best defense is a good offense. As brittle as they are now, the car wrecks easily crashed through them and a few more before stopping completely. By then, the Sangvis dolls in the back then climbed over the car wrecks and swarmed forward, once again not even bother to check what's inside.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Kaboom.

Like the roar of a thunderclap, the C4 charges planted inside the wrecks exploded with an ear-shattering sound sending Sangvis corpses flying everywhere. Before such carnage, with a calm voice Tiger spoke into the radio.

"All units, begin counterattack."

* * *

At the same time, in a Sangvis abandoned Command Post.

"Arrived at the destination 20 minutes ahead of time." Said HK416, making her way further inside while stepping over the debris on the floor. Following right behind her seem to be someone else, not G11, humming a small tune.

"Are you sure this is the place?" when 416 asked, the person behind her then answered with a playful tone.

"Of course. It is this very place where Agent wiped the floor with the AR Team, the very same place where that pals of yours had suffered. So, feeling excited yet?"

The duo then entered a large room. At once, 416 looked for the lever and switched on the power. The room then lit up, revealing what seems to be the aftermath of a battle. Bullet holes on the floor and wall, large chunks of debris littered here and there. And with the lighting on, the identity of the other person was also revealed.

"Hm~, it's just so efficient with a human commander's support." Mused Ump45.

"Be sure to thank the commander with ALL you've got, okay?" she poked fun at 416, but instead of the usual retort of distaste, this time the latter responded by stomping her foot on the ground which surprised 45.

"416?"

"While I'll do it if you give me a direct order, this one thing is something that I will not comply no matter what!" 416 shouted angrily then proceeded to extract data they came here for from the control terminal on the wall. As 45 was still wondering just who or what managed to tick this girl off so much, she remembered the conversation from last night with G11 and the rumors she heard here and there, then everything finally clicked.

A week ago, Base 794 had hired two human mercenaries as Adjutant and Combat Advisor to compensate its lack of Commander, and when 416 and G11 got dragged along on a recon mission last night by MG5, they encountered this very same Adjutant.

From what G11 told her because 416 refused to open her mouth, by some misfortune the military-turned-Sangvis troops in the area were alerted of their presence and had immediately gave chase. It was thanks to this Adjutant that they were able to escape being surrounded unscathed, called in the reinforcement on standby and heavily damaged the enemy's vanguard unit including a Manticore while they're at it.

Guess the Adjutant's display of skill must have put quite a damper on 416's pride in her own skill. But just that wouldn't have made her this upset. The main reason for 416's anger was that, this new Adjutant, with clearly superior skill to her as proven by last night encounter, on the first day of duty had gone and made M4A1 the acting Commander of Base 794. Isn't that synonymous to saying she's inferior to M4A1 as a soldier?

"_To make 416 this mad after meeting only once. Okay, Adjutant, now you've got my attention." _With a smirk that forebodes nothing well, 45 then thought of how to put this juicy piece of information into future use.

"Data recovered. We have Agent's coordinates. Tell 9 to stop messing around and continue the pursuit." After a while, 416 finally spoke up. 45 then was about to contact this '9' person to relay the message, when she noticed that 416 was still fiddling with the control terminal.

"What…are you doing, 416? Ah~! Looking for clues about your pal, eh?" like a lightbulb being lit, 45 slammed her fist down on her palm after comprehending the meaning behind 416's action.

"Such a chance doesn't come by every day. I won't let her off."

"All right, all right. I'll leave you to it then." Saying that, 45 then walked back out through the hallway.

"Just don't go overboard on your own, got it? She can be quite dangerous when she gets serious, you know that better than any of us, no?"

* * *

Riverside town.

"All unit, cease fire."

As the cloud of smoke and dust began to settle, the result of the battle became clear as day. Sangvis corpses, some with a hole bored through their head, some losing a majority of their body, some shredded into halves, others into thousand pieces, and one of them is still being dissected.

"No more Sangvis signature found, all hostile activities have ceased. All enemies neutralized, it's our win." After a quick scan, Tiger then declared their victory as the T-Dolls cheers in joy.

"Woahoo! We won! Righto, Adjutant!" jumping up and down excitedly, SPAS-12 then raised her palm at Tiger and after a brief pause, he shrugged and slowly reached out his as the two did a high-five.

"Especially you, Commander. Splendid work."

"Ah- N-no, I-I-" suddenly received a compliment, M4A1 got flustered and began stuttering with her words. Took her a while to calm down enough to get something comprehensible out of her mouth.

"I am only d-doing what is expected of me…Thank you, Mr Tiger…"

"Adjutant! What about SOP-II? SOP-II also fought well!"

"Take it as you redeeming yourself for your misbehavior this morning"

"Aww, no fair!"

"That means you too, Ingram! Don't think I did not notice!"

"Boo, you're no fun at all."

Hearing their banters over the radio, Eagle couldn't help but let out a small sigh. The mysterious person who fed him intel on the Sangvis must have been the ghost squad 404. As expected of a squad that 'does not exist', by the time he looked back to check they were already long gone. At least he knows that they're on the same side.

With the situation at hand dealt with, Eagle then checked the satellite map for their next destination. Following the main road and head north-east-east toward the city, that means deeper into ELID-contaminated zone, which also means higher chance of encountering ELID-infected mutants.

Any and all information they have on this threat from the database are from more than 10 years ago and haven't been updated since which is the same as having no information at all to work with. In a scenario like this where improvising is the only solution, it's never hurt to be too well-prepared. Thinking that, he then contacted Kalina about some adjustments for the supply to be delivered.

"Calling. Calling. M4A1, do you copy?" suddenly, as they were waiting for the supply choppers to arrive, M4A1 received a radio call from a Sangvis frequency, but the voice calling on the line was of someone she knows.

"M16? Is that you, big sis M16?! You're okay? Where are you now?" hearing the voice of her comrade after so long, M4 sort of lost her cool as she shot at M16 a barrage of questions.

"Woah woah, slow down now, sister. Are you with the others right now?"

"Both SOP-II and AR-15 is here. We're only missing you."

"That's good to hear then. Don't worry, I'm fine. I managed to find a depot so I'm not low on supplies for the time being, but I've still got some business to attend to."

"What business do you have? When are you coming back?"

"Well…we'll see. Ah! Gotta go!"

"Hello? M16? Big sis?! Hello?" and just like that, M16 ended the call. No matter how much and how loud M4 yelled, there was no longer a response and only silence. M16 said that she's fine, but even then M4 still couldn't help but be worried. After all this time of being separated, they finally have a chance at reunion, no way she's going to let it slip away.

"M4, was that M16 just now? Is she…not coming back?"

"No! She will come back! It just that…she…" under great confusion herself, M4 couldn't find the right word to tell SOPMOD-II about the situation with M16. Suddenly, AR-15 hushed at them.

"Hold on. Someone's making a public broadcast!" at that moment, from an open channel on their radio and from the town's speaker system that should have stopped working years ago, rung out a voice.

"Please to meet you, everyone. Still awaiting news from your companion? Perhaps you should focus on what's at hand instead." Despite clearly being an enemy, the tone and choice of word was rather polite.

"Intruder…I didn't expect you to make an appearance so soon." Knowing just who that voice belonged to, AR-15 muttered her name with a grimace.

"It'd be discourteous of me to not entertain the guests who graced my land with their presence." Intruder replied to AR-15, still with a polite tone.

"First of all, I need to congratulate you on wiping out my pursuit troops. But that was only one of my many still out there, so I am not offended in the slightest."

"And, since all of you have come such a long way here, I've prepared the warmest reception and also a present for you all on the way so do look forward to it." Broadcast ended.

Shortly after that when the supply choppers arrived, they received a new mission from HQ along with some new information on the new Ringleader. From the briefing, Intruder seems to be a new Ringleader model for there was no data about her in the Sangvis's old product catalogue.

However, thanks to the ghost squadron's intel, they know that she's a commander model and her base of operation lies in the heart of the city further up north, also their next destination. With the presence of a Sangvis Ringleader confirmed, their mission has been updated to the following: neutralize Intruder's defense network and eliminate her. And despite M4A1 reporting about M16's current situation and requested to rescue her, HQ had declined her request and even stressed that the elimination of Intruder takes precedence over all.

"So what will it be, Commander?" breaking the silence, Tiger asked.

"Mr Tiger…I…don't know…This time I really don't know…" M4 answered, clenching her fist tightly. As a T-Doll of G&K and the current acting commander, she's bound by her duty to eliminate the Sangvis threat. But as simply M4A1, right now she wanted nothing more than to ignore everything and go look for M16. Loyalty to her duty or loyalty to her comrade.

Then again, since when were those two things exclusive to each other?

"'Bring the AR Team back in one piece', that's the first order you've given us and it still stands. As per the order dictates, we cannot mobilize our entire troop on a 'search and rescue' with a Ringleader still presented. However, we can send a small detachment to 'rendezvous with a recon party in the area to obtain more intel on the current objective'."

"Is it…possible? Can something like that…really be done?" M4 asked shakily.

"As long as you make the call, we will carry it out."

"Then…big sis M16…please bring big sis M16 back!"

"Wilco. Eagle, take three with you and rendezvous with the recon party. She mentioned an outpost and we have the used frequency recorded, shouldn't be too hard to narrow down the general direction."

"Copy that, Chief. Ms Springfield, Ms G36 and Skorpion, on me." Taking those three with him, Eagle then quickly departed on one of the chopper to look for M16. Once the chopper was completely out of the range of vision, Tiger then turned back to the rest of the troop.

"Alright, as per the order from HQ, we will now make a beeline toward the closest Sangvis depot to disrupt their chain of supply and gather more intel on the enemy. Now let's step on it with the resupply, we move out in five!"

"Yes sir!"

"Mr Tiger…thank you…"

"Don't be. Your job as the commander is to lead the troops. Ours, as Adjutant and Combat Advisor, is to ensure you're in the perfect condition for it." Tiger then walked away toward the supply crate with leaving M4 to herself as she gave a deep bow to express her gratitude.

Then, from the grey cloudy sky, it began snowing.

* * *

Meanwhile, at M16's hideout.

"Haaa…Although I boasted my way through the call, I wouldn't say no to a little help right now." M16 let out the longest sigh while reloading a new magazine into her gun. It was by pure dumb luck that she managed to find this old ruin that the Sangvis had turned into an outpost. Now that she had secured the supply for herself, M16 was about to plan out the next course of action when she suddenly flipped over the table she was sitting on and quickly dodged into a corner. The moment she did, a hail of bullets immediately turned the table into wooden scrap.

"But I'm guessing you're not here to help, are you, 416!" M16 shouted loudly. Inside another ruin, from a good vantage HK416 was closely observing her every move.

"A Sangvis would have been a more welcome sight than me now, wouldn't it?" 416 asked back sarcastically.

"Well, not like I hadn't seen this coming." Saying that, M16 then bolted out of the building she was in and sprinted at full speed toward the next one whilst having another hail of bullets right on her tail.

"But as a G&K T-Doll, shouldn't you at least give a reason for killing someone other than Sangvis units?"

"With the authorized rights exclusive to Squad 404, I can attack any T-Doll that hinder my action, friend and enemy alike." 416 replied to M16's inquiry, quickly swapping out a new magazine.

"Damn, that's some handy-dandy rights you have. Gotta say, I'm a bit jealous." M16 mocked back which only further fuel the flame of anger inside 416.

"Shut up, M16! You know…the price you have to pay…"

"Haaa…Am I really such an eyesore?" when M16 asked that, at first 416 gritted her teeth then that expression slowly turned into a twisted smile.

"To be honest, I've never been glad about my authorization…until now."

"To be honest, I was quite fond of you back at National Security, but that was then. And now, we're finally showing our hand…"

"Indeed. You can't run this time, M16. Not anymore."

The snow continued to pile up even higher. After a brief silence where everything, even time, appears to have come to a halt, M16 and HK416, the two then simultaneously pulled their trigger, signifying the start of their duel.

Unlike 416 who got the jump on her and was attacking with pinpoint precision, M16 could only fire toward the general direction that she assumed to be where the attacks are coming from. And while this snowfall does help in covering her track, it's also hindering her even more in trying to identify 416's position.

"_Cheh, seems I really can't get out of this without having a few more scars." _Clicking her tongue, M16 then once again bolted out of her hiding and ran in a zigzag pattern, feigning running away from a fight.

"I told you already, this time you will not run away!" in another fit of rage toward the cowardly act of her opponent, 416 fired her gun at full auto, not knowing that's exactly what M16 wanted. Thanks to that, her perfect vantage point was revealed.

"Found ya!" Having figured out where her opponent is firing from, M16 then shot a barrage toward it, flushing 416 out.

"Tch!" seeing the incoming barrage, 416 jumped to one side and escaped by a hair's breadth. Not letting M16 turning the table on her, 416 immediately abandoned the vantage point and opted to repositioning. Little did she know the moment M16 figured out her position, her next move was already well within the latter's prediction. The moment she made a turn around the corner, a flashbang was lobbed right at her face.

"Shi-" the flashbang exploded into a blinding white light before the entire word could even get out of her mouth. Taking that chance, M16 shielded her eyes with one arm and lunged toward 416. With her vision still impaired by the flash, 416 tried to aim her gun at M16 but was far too slow and only got it knocked out of her hand.

"Damn you!" letting out a curse, this time 416 pulled out a knife and swung it at M16.

"You're one tough nut to crack, you know that?!" M16 cried out when 416 even pulled out her pistol and fired at her. While every shot was way off base, she managed to get M16 to back away. Glancing around, she saw her gun lying on the ground. Quickly, she leapt toward it and M16 leapt after her.

416 caught her gun, rolled a few rounds on the snow and quickly got back up with her gun at the ready, same goes with M16. A total face-off. Both are within the firing range of the other, and right now even the smallest mistake can cost them their live. Then, the moment they were about to pull the trigger was interrupted by something akin to a thunder strike.

"What?!" 416 reflexively let out a cry while shielding herself from the falling rubble. Even for M16, everything happened so fast she only managed to catch a glimpse of it. Something like a sniper bullet had flew cross them at blinding speed and into the pillar of the ruin next to them and exploded upon contact. The pillar then collapsed down right before them, interrupted the supposed duel to the death.

"Guh, the hell is this?!" 416 tried to disperse the cloud of dust before her by waving her hand. Then once she saw that M16 was still dumbfounded by the event that just unfolded, she immediately took aim but…

"I would not move another muscle if I was you." A voice suddenly rung out on their radio. It's from an unknown frequency that is neither G&K or Sangvis. 416 immediately turned to scan her surrounding when a sniper shot then grazed just barely by her face.

When she turned her head around to look, the wall of brick behind her had a huge hole bored into it, and she too would have suffered the same fate if that shot did not barely miss by just a few millimeters. Or was that the intention, a warning shot?

Realizing that there's a crosshair right on her head, 416 then lowered her gun although very reluctantly. As for M16, while still in a state of shock was approached from behind by G36.

"Are you Ms M16?' she asked which spooked M16.

"Huh wha-? Y-yes, I am M16."

"We're sent by Ms M4A1. Please follow me, our chopper is just right outside." She said and walked away, not letting M16 even a chance to respond so the latter could only follow.

"Wha-, hold it-"

"Do you still want your head intact or no?" when that voice asked back, 416 finally snapped at it.

"Who the fuck do you think you're, barging into someone else's business like that?!"

"Well, the one that you were about to shoot, our Commander asked us to pick her up so it's kind of also our business." The voice answered calmly, which pissed off 416 even more.

"Your Commander? Ah, I see, so you're the two humans hired to serve that bitch M4A1. What, did you human get tired of being the 'master' and wanted to take a jab at being the 'servant' instead?" 416's mockery grew more intense and more foul by the second, but her attempt at instigation was proven to be of no effect.

"Not really. We choose our own boss, not the other way around. And what about you? Don't you ever get tired of being your own petty grudge's lap dog?"

A few minutes later, as Eagle was heading back to the chopper, he sensed a presence eyeing him from the shadow and quickly turned around, drawing his handgun.

"Woah woah, easy now, friendly, friendly." As the one hiding in the shadow slowly stepped out, Eagle lowered his gun as he seemed to recognize her.

"You are…part of the ghost squad, correct? The one who alerted me about the Sangvis force."

"Ooh~! Even though all you saw was my hand? Impressive!" complimented UMP45, giving Eagle a thumb up.

"I assume that you're the leader of your squad. Then can I ask you to keep the behavior of your squad mate in check next time?" he asked, referring to 416.

"Well, I'm really sorry about that. It's just that 416 has been working really hard recently, so I decided to give her a vacation of sort, you see."

"Guess our definition of 'vacation' differ greatly from each other."

"You could say that." 45 let out a small laugh that went on for a while when she suddenly pointed her gun at Eagle. Seeming to have anticipated something like this, Eagle immediately dropped the sniper rifle closed the distance between them, removed the magazine from 45's gun, ejected the remaining chambered round and pointed his gun at her throat.

Locked in position, the two stared at each other for a good minute before 45 dropped her gun and raised both hands as a sign of surrendering.

"Now I see why 416 is so upset. You win, I give." She said with a smile on her face. After determining that her gesture is genuine, Eagle then holstered his gun. He even picked the magazine and the ejected round on the ground and gave it back to 45 as she, once again, suddenly grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer to her.

"'_It's raining on the plain'."_


	12. Side Chapter 1

**Here comes the Christmas special!**

* * *

**A Christmas carnage**

* * *

One day, G&K Base 794 of District S09.

"A Christmas party?" asked both Tiger and Eagle at the same time. The two of them were organizing the papers and documents in the Logistic office with Kalina when Springfield came in the suggestion.

"Oh yeah, it is almost Christmas." Said Eagle, glancing at the calendar showing the date of 21st on the table.

"Yes, we're thinking of throwing a party for the Dolls to have fun and also take a break from all the fighting. What's more, this year we also have Adjutant, Advisor and Ms M4 and her team so everyone's been really looking forward to it." Springfield answered with a smile.

"Ooh! I think it's a great idea! Let's do it, Mr Tiger, Mr Eagle!" Kalina said agreeing with Springfield. They looked over to the duo, then Eagle looked over to Tiger while the latter flipped through a list of newly organized documents.

"There hasn't been many report on Sangvis activity the past weeks, and we don't have any mission that required immediate attention so, I don't see why not." The moment Tiger made the decision, Kalina immediately jumped up and down in joy and started hugging everyone.

"Wohoo! Party! I love you, Adjutant!"

"Is it going to cost me?"

"This time only, I'll give you an actual, genuine discount of 30%~."

"Ooh, what a bargain." Said in a very unenthusiastic tone.

"So beside the grand feast, is there going to be anything else?" since the top boss has given his permission, Eagle then asked Springfield for the specifics.

"For that, I'm thinking of Secret Santa. Of course, Mr Tiger and Mr Eagle will also have to prepare a present for everyone." The way Springfield just casually said that with a smile caused both Tiger and Eagle to stare at her.

"And out of nowhere we became the sponsor, what?"

The news of the boss man giving his permission for the Christmas party spreads like wildfire. By evening, a festive mood had already enveloped the entire base.

The following day, preparations for the party were officially underway with T-Dolls busily running about with red ribbons, string of neon lights and other material for decorating. Returning from a mission, one of them even brought back a fine pine tree.

Then on the day after that, a list of item that each T-Doll wanted for their Christmas present were compiled by Springfield and Kalina and forwarded to the 'sponsor', along with two sets of costume. Upon seeing some of the items on that list, the only reaction that they managed to utter was a blank stare. Adding to that the costume they received from Springfield, at this point the duo felt that she's just having fun teasing them.

And that makes another two consecutive days went by without any new report on Sangvis activity, which is rather worrisome.

Then at long last, the big day finally arrived.

* * *

Time check: 1909.

"That should be everything then." Said Tiger after checking a mark on the last item on the list. Having left since morning under the pretense of attending an emergency meeting at the HQ and having Kalina covered it up for them, the duo was returning from the city with an entire armored truck full of present. As for why they opted for an armored truck and even brought along their exosuits in the back…let's just say Tiger had a hunch.

As their truck continued to move along the road and Tiger was about to call Kalina, an explosion which Eagle barely managed to avoid at the last minute then occurred.

"Hahaha! You Griffin scums must be really dumb to be out at this hour, and not bringing with you a single escort!" as squadrons after squadrons of Sangvis slowly appeared from the side of the road, the perpetrator behind this ambush then also revealed herself before the truck's headlight. A little girl with white twintails, sporting two automatic grenade launchers at her waist, Destroyer.

"Now, if you lot still value your live, then quietly surrender everything in your possession and I'll let you off the hook!" Destroyer proudly announced her demand.

"What's with that line, are you like some third rate bandit in the mountain or something?"

"Seems even the Sangvis is eager to celebrate Christmas, Chief, and apparently they intended to do so with our presents."

"Not on my watch. Focus on driving, I'll keep these buckets of bolts off our tail."

"Oy, what's taking so long? Do I have to make another explosion or two until you can get my words into that thick skull of yours?!" as Destroyer was getting impatient, the top of the truck then opened. When she looked up, Destroyer suddenly jumped to one side as a barrage of machinegun fire nearly shredded her. Following that, multiple grenades were lobbed at the surrounding Sangvis, creating quite a firework show and at the same time.

In an instant, a third of the Sangvis presented was wiped out and the path ahead was cleared. The truck then began moving again, this time at full throttle.

"A-After them! Do not let them escape!" hurriedly getting back up, Destroyer ordered to remaining troops to pursue. It was then situation turned into a game of cat and mouse. The Sangvis chasing after the truck, many times nearly had it surrounded completely only to be shot down by Tiger controlling both exosuits to fend them off.

From an outsider's point of view, it looks like a normal case of Sangvis attacking the G&K, but to those who are in the know the situation is much more comical than that. The notorious Sangvis Ferri, attacking a G&K armored truck that is transporting…Christmas presents.

* * *

G&K Base 794, Mess Hall. Time check: 2032.

"_Adjutant and Mr Eagle sure is running late." _Thought Kalina. Just now she received a message saying that they encountered some issues on the way back, but also a reaffirmation that they will be back on time, so she has been trying to buy some time. But more than half an hour had passed by and still no sign of them. At this rate, it will really be a Christmas party without them and without any present for everyone.

Then, as if by a miracle of the holy night, at that moment she saw an armored truck entering the base through the window.

"_They're back!" _the situation can still be salvaged, but she must act quick. Signaling Springfield, Kalina then jumped onto the podium and called out to the Dolls.

"Everyone!" hearing the call, all the Dolls then quieted down and turned their attention toward the podium.

"Now that we have filled our bellies and exchanged our gifts, time for the main event of tonight! A round of applause, for our Santa Claus!" Kalina announced while pointing toward the door. Hearing that, the Dolls all looked toward the door in great anticipation.

After a brief minute, the door was pushed open. The one entering though, was not quite how everyone imagined an old man with white beard in red costume and carrying a large bag full of presents to be like. Instead, entering through the door was something that looked like it came straight out off a horror movie.

A figure cladded fully in black, with some sort of red liquid splattered all over his body that is still wet. While he's indeed carrying a very large bag on his back, in one hand he's still holding a severed head that is still dripping out the very same red liquid.

"Ho Ho Ho." suddenly, that figure began laughing with a very menacing tone. His appearance alone was enough to make the atmosphere and the blood of those presented freeze over, and with his laugh some of the Dolls began tearing up and others were already on the verge of screaming.

"Merry Christmas everyone." appearing in the nick of time to save the day was Eagle the reindeer, but that also wasn't helping much as the entire Mess Hall once again fell into silence.

"Pft! Hahahahahaha! The hell was that just now?!" and that silence was soon broken by Ingram who started laughing uncontrollably.

With Kalina and Springfield explaining the situation, the misunderstood was quickly cleared off as teh Dolls merrily ran toward the duo to receive their Christmas present.

"Oooh! This is Doll Souls 4! And a brand new Xwitch! Thank you, Adjutant!"

"Yahoo! A month of worth of Original Taste Cola!"

"Well well, stainless steel. You sure know how to choose a present, Tiger." said Ingram licking the side of her new set of three commando knives.

Receiving their presents, the Dolls then gleefully opened the wrapping and the smile of joy on their face only bloomed even brighter seeing the present that they've always wanted inside. Not just that, even those that did not put in any wish also got something for their own.

"Here, Commander." When Tiger handed her a present wrapped in red and white ribbons, M4A1 subconsciously let out a surprised cry.

"Eh? F-for me? But I didn't-"

"It's not a proper Christmas if some are left out, is it? Rather than from Santa, just think of it as your subordinate insist it on you."

"T-then, I thank you, Mr Tiger." M4 graciously accepted the present. She slowly and carefully tear the wrapping as if to not damage it, then when she finally opened the box inside...

"Woaah..." in her hand was an one-piece aquamarine dress, completed with a hat of the same color.

"Merry Christmas, Commander."

"Ms Kalina, Merry Christmas."

"Waoh! Thank you, Mr Eagle!"

"And here's yours, Ms Springfield. Merry Christmas."

"My, how thoughtful of you. And I must say, you look good in that, Mr Eagle."

By then, all the Dolls have received their presents and were happily showing them off to others, but in the back there was still another cart with four large crates left.

"I was sure that we already accounted for everyone. Who are we still missing?" when Eagle asked, Tiger answered indiffently as his exosuit pulled the cart with the four crates into the room.

"None, because those are mine."

"Yours? Wait...Chief, don't tell me..." Eagle said, feeling a dreadful premonition inside him. And that premonition, unfortunately, was soon proven to be true when Tiger took off their lids.

"Those are…!"

"My Tsar…"

"Now that…that must have cost more than just a fortune…"

Whispers could be heard, coming from the crowd, mostly from the Dolls whose infamy of being heavy drinker preceded them.

Four large crates, filled with every kind of alcohol from around the world, and of the highest quality at that. When all the eyes were upon him, Tiger took out a bottle of Spirytus and slammed it onto the table.

"You all have had your fill of fun, so now it's my turn to have some. If you think you have the liver for it, then step forward. For tonight, I'm drinking you all under the table." Those words of his that sounded like a declaration of war immediately sparked up the competitiveness inside all the heavy drinkers in the base, mostly the Russian T-Dolls, as they approached the table with burning determination.

"Oh? Is that ca challenge, boss?" asked Thompson, spitting out the tooth stick in her mouth.

"Adjutant, with all due respect, I think I must remind you that we're T-Dolls and you're still a human. No matter how much you can hold your drink-" M16 said out of concern, but Tiger immediately cut her off.

"Are you making an excuse in case you lose in advance? Because it sure sounds like one to me."

"…You may die for real, Adjutant."

"The only thing I'm going to die from is old age. Now enough chitchat. Let our glasses do the talking instead."

"Then don't expect us to hold back!"

"Bring it!"

With a sudden turn of event, the Christmas party became a drinking competition which lasted through the night and only ended when dawn came. At first, some of the Dolls tried to intervene but when Suomi slipped a record of death metal into the player, only the cheers of the spectator were left.

"Fufufu, see, Mr Eagle? This year everything was especially merrier than ever."

"More chaotic would be the more suitable term."

After the first crate was emptied out, AK-47 was the first to be knocked out, with the rest was still hanging on. Half way through the third one, Thompson was put out of commission and toward the end of it, Mosin and SVD became the next victim. Alas, there was only Tiger and M16 competing for the championship. In the end, it wasn't clear who actually won for everyone presented was already dead drunk by that point. But one thing was for sure, for the entirety of the following day many was bedridden with a severe hangover.

* * *

Midnight, at the Sangvis HQ.

Looking around to make sure that her path was clear, Destroyer slipped through the door and quickly ran back to her room, in her hands was a small red paper bag decorated with a green ribbon. Adorned on her twintails, was a pair of hair ornaments with the design motif of the mistletoe.

* * *

**Merry Christmas y'all.**


	13. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Separated but not divided**

* * *

Sector 4, Supply Depot Mu 5. Time check: 1237.

After separating with Eagle's detachment, the G&K troop had departed from the riverside town for the closest Sangvis depot to disrupt their supply line, then proceeded to make a beeline for the next closest outpost to gather more intel on the enemy's main force. Due to the intensifying snowfall, on top of the fact that it is almost midday, they have taken a short rest after wiping out the outpost.

On the 3F.

In the Command Center, while all other Dolls were currently resting or having lunch, both Tiger and the AR Team were currently going through the data they have just extracted from the main terminal. Not only is the Ringleader this time a new model that does not exist in previous production catalogue, after going through just the transport log, the amount of troop under her command is also quite large, perhaps just as much as Hunter.

Because this is an ELID-contaminated sector, not many, both human and T-Doll, dared to venture deep into it, explaining how the Sangvis was able to mobilize such large number of troop right under the G&K nose. As the four was planning out the next course of action, Tiger received a radio call. Due to the distance and interference from the weather, there was a lot of statics.

"…Alright, copy that." When Tiger turned to her after answering the call, M4A1 immediately tensed up as she leaned her body forward.

"Good news, the last member of the AR Team has been safely extracted." the moment Tiger delivered the news, M4 immediately slumped on the table like a huge burden has been lifted off her shoulders. SOP-II excitedly jumped up and down and AR-15 simply let out a sigh.

"We will move out as soon as the plan is finalized. For now, head straight for the city and scope out the area. Try to be in touch." Due to the increasing interference from the worsening weather, the call was cut off prematurely, thankfully the new intel Eagle received managed to get through without any problem.

The ghost squad 404 was kindly enough to provide them with a layout of the city where Intruder had made it her base of operation, and also coordinate of potential weak spots in her defense. It seems they have already withdrawn from the area not after one of them, HK416, pulled a daring stunt on M16, according to Eagle. So these intel is supposed to be their leader's way of offering an apology. 'Rather tense' is just putting it mildly as far as the relationship between the two squads is concerned.

Squad 404, this will not be the last time they will be needing each other's assistance, and when the time comes some countermeasures may be required, Tiger noted internally.

* * *

Around the same time, on Eagle's side.

With the heavy snowfall slowly progressing into a snowstorm, their visual from the chopper was basically none so Eagle was acting as the navigator in the co-pilot seat. And in the back, M16 was warming up to the three new companions, mostly Skorpion and Springfield because G36's glare kind of scared her, not knowing that it was just her squinting because of bad eyesight.

"So you're M4's big sis? Heeh, you two are like the exact opposite to each other." Commented Skorpion after eyeing M16 up and down for about three times.

"Hahaha, while I get that a lot, do we really look that different from each other?" hearing that, M16 asked back with a laugh.

"Sure do. You have this air of 'cool' about you, whereas M4 is rather timid."

"Skorpion, it's not very nice to talk about our Commander like that." Seated next to M16, G36 calmly reprimanded Skorpion for her remark.

"Ah! But she has been much more proactive recently. She still tends to retreat into her shell every now and then, but when she doesn't, she's a very reliable teammate and capable leader!"

"Indeed. It is just as Skorpion said, Ms M4 has her flaws, but she's trying her hardest to meet the expectation of everyone around her. A large part of it is thanks to the guidance and help of our Adjutant and Advisor." Continuing after Skorpion, Springfield added in her own opinion.

"Now ain't that good to hear? As her big sis who has been watching her all this time, it sure is music to my ears." Said M16, a little bit exaggerated when she wiped her index across her nose like a doting father watching his daughter growing up.

After a solid 40 minutes of flying through this snowstorm, the city where Intruder made it her base was finally within sight. Approaching closer to the building with a helipad on the roof, they quickly rappelled down and have the chopper leave the area. From the city layout received from squad 404, this is a twin tower with two buildings of asymmetrical height. The one they have just rappelled down onto was the smaller tower, 50 stories tall with the other one 20 stories taller. Must have been some sort of commercial building or some international enterprise's headquarter.

Since the taller tower would give them a much better overlook of the area, after making their way over they split up into two teams, one head down to deal with any Sangvis presented, the other up to secure a good vantage point.

"Hey, you're called Eagle, right? I still haven't thanked you for all that stuff with 416. You guys really saved my ass back there." On the same team with Eagle, M16 put a bullet into the head of the Vespid being pinned on ground and another to the Jaeger sniping from behind the corner before thanking him.

"You don't have to, since we're just following order." Eagle replied while skillfully disarming the two Rippers before him before they could fire their weapon then emptied his handgun in the center of their chest.

"No need to be so modest. After all, orders don't mean jack when the one carrying it out is incompetent."

"Seem like you know your stuff, which shouldn't come as a surprise considering the weapon you're partnered with has seen its fair share of conflict." Sheathing his knife, the two continued their sweep and their casual conversation.

"You could say that. Anyway, on another topic, is it true that you guys appointed my baby sister as the Commander? Any particular reason?"

"Well, while we're hired to help the G&K, it was on the condition that we will be excluded from their chain of command. So all we really need was just someone from G&K itself act as the medium with the higher command."

"Then wouldn't Ms Helian have suffice?"

"Yes, she would have. But then, when we heard about this 'T-Doll with a nigh-perfect free will', Chief added the condition of choosing our own Commander so in the end, the decision was solely his whim."

"Maybe because he saw something in Ms M4 that he decided to choose her, or perhaps it's because of how impressive her method of asking us for our help was that we just couldn't turn her down."

15 minutes later, the duo finally reached floor 66, which is good enough to scout out the area. The Sangvis security was by no mean lax, but their resistance wasn't particularly fierce either. Since this place holds great strategic value, Eagle was expecting at least twice this amount of troop. And their positioning was all over the place, like they were looking for something rather than guarding this place so there's definitely something afoot.

Deploying the bipod, Eagle began scouting out the area, noting down the important points of interest and troop patrol route. The snowstorm has intensified even more since they arrived so the process is taking longer than usual. Hopping onto the table next to the window, M16 set down the large case on her back and listened to Eagle continuing their convo.

"Ms M4, she has lots of potential to her growth, and the fact her DigiMind isn't bound by a preset set of directives like her peers is also a great bonus. The only thing holding her back is her timidity, so making her the Commander and us her aides is Chief's way of helping her improve her strong points and overcome her shortcomings."

"Then why don't you just 'fix' her personality? As you've already know, a T-Doll's personality is preset by the factory to fit the customer's desire, with a press of the button we can act and behave however human wanted us to. So isn't that the more efficient way to do, just get rid of the defective and replace it with something more desirable?" M16 asked, trying to hide the underlying tone in her voice. Eagle, after a brief minute of silence, then spoke up.

"Not really, no. I mean, if history is of any indication then you can already tell that humanity cannot fix thing worth a damn."

"With every conflict, we pushed the world closer to its ruin and 17 years ago, we finally did it. Even then we still learned nothing from it, we continued to repeat the same mistake. Even when many outstanding individuals came together to make the world a better place, mankind as a whole is bound to go down the same path."

"You could say at this point we're already fed up with trying to fix things." Having completed a detailed map, Eagle then turned on his feet and walked toward the stairway, leaving behind a slightly dumbfounded M16. His answer completely caught her off-guard, and it took a while to get up and follow him. As the two went down the stairway to regroup with the other team, Eagle suddenly stopped and spoke up without turning around.

"Ms M16, I know that you're worried for Ms M4 and that worry is not unfounded, I can understand. We're two complete strangers, mercenaries that aren't even affiliated with G&K. But it is precisely because of that, we follow only Ms M4's order long as the contract still stands. I won't ask you to not worry, but instead to observe and discern for yourself whether we're trustworthy or not."

Seems like he realized that what he said just now was a tad bit much, so now he tried to reassure her. Hearing that, M16 couldn't help but burst out laughing while rapidly slapping Eagle on his back.

"Hahahaha! Alright alright I get it! My baby sisters will be in your hands and I'll be keeping an eye on you guys so rest assure!"

"…Well, it's good that you understand-" suddenly, there was the sound of a large collision reverberating throughout the entire building, followed by the sound of gunfire. Immediately after that was a distress call from G36, along with Skorpion's shout as well.

"Mr Eagle, we require your immediate assistance!"

"Tell him to hurry up! This thing just eat bullet like SPAS wolfing down her meal every day!"

"We're down on the 32th Floor, please hurry!"

"Copy that, we're on our way." From the 66th to the 32th floor, that's more than 30 floors away. Even if they were to run down the stair with all their might, it'd still take too long even without accounting for possible collapsed section and debris blocking their way. Nodding to each other, Eagle and M16 then ran straight for the central elevator.

Jamming his knife into the crack between the metal doors and pried them open. Quickly, they each attached a hook onto the cable holding the elevator and jumped down the shaft.

* * *

Meanwhile, on 32F.

"Argh! Just die already!" in charge of drawing the attention of the enemy, Skorpion had her two dummies kept the…thing, at bay with a hail of bullets while she herself lit up a Molotov and lobbed it toward the thing. In the back, Springfield and G36 was also helping in keeping up the pressure, but no matter how many bullet they fired, even when covered in blazing fire, that one single enemy still refused to fall down.

Raising one of its tendril-like arm, that thing then swung it at Skorpion, instantly taking out on of her dummy. It then swung the arm again, this time aimed at the main body.

"Alright, that's as far as you go." Appearing in the nick of time, M16 blocked the dreadful and covered in burning thermite with her large weapon case then Eagle quickly severed it with a single well-placed shot.

"What took you two so long?! My whole life just flashed before my eyes!"

"Don't you mean 'eye'?"

"Jokes aside, anyone mind telling me what the hell is that thing?" nonchalantly breaking a joke even when the tension is high, M16 then immediately brushed it aside as her 'eye' was focused on the enemy before them. Under the light produced by the flame, the identity of their enemy was revealed…or so they had hoped.

A malformed and grotesque figure, with what described as the 'body' is both the head and the torso fused into one. Its face is titled completely to one side, empty eyes with the pupils no longer visible and some sort of green goo was dripping out from the corner of its mouth. Beside the two tendril-like arms, there was still another one growing out from its back. One of its two legs is bent in an abnormal angle at the knee so in order to keep its balance while moving, was replaced with just a large lump of grey flesh. On its body pieces of ripped clothing still remained, suggesting that it was once a human being.

An ELID-infected. Reports of them still roaming the area all dated back to before the war, and it's just their luck to have encountered one. On a closer look, littered on the floor around it was many Sangvis corpses either ripped into halves or tear into pieces, with many of its wounds seem to have been caused by their plasma cartridge.

So maybe it really was just the devil's luck that they happened to stumble upon this thing while it was having fun ripping and tearing down Sangvis troops in this building. Looking at its severed limb laying on the ground, the ELID-infected let out a low roar as it swung all three of its tendril-like limbs at the group.

"Spread out!" quickly scattered to dodge the incoming tendrils, the group then kept their distance without engaging for the time being.

"I hope you have some kinda plan for this kinda thing, Advisor!" shouted M16.

"I do have one, but it's a gamble a best!"

"We'll take it!"

"Even as ELID-infected, they still have a brain and a heart. Take both out and they will fall. But as infected, they're messed up both in and outside so everything we know about human anatomy? Out of the window. Did that thing show any particular reaction when fighting you ladies?"

"It was pretty aggressive when I shot it in the back, but I can't tell exactly where!"

"Good enough. Ms G36, Skorpion and Ms M16, spread out to keep the infected distracted and also keep a lookout and where is it keeping it guard up the most. Ms Springfield, we'll be in charge of taking out the organs!"

"Roger!"

Following Eagle's command, M16 and G36 then split up to the two sides. Having to deal with three targets at once, the ELID-infected began to swing its tendril wildly at the two within its sight first. While it was distracted, Skorpion then once again flanked around and shot it in the back. Hit with a surprise attack and in the soft spot, the ELID-infected immediately retracted its tendril and turned around to attack Skorpion, completely ignoring M16 and G36.

Rinse and repeat, after a few minutes of using the same tactic over and over again, they finally identified where the two organs could be. Right below the base of the back tendril and to the right of its chest.

"Cover your eyes and ears!" M16 shouted as she lobbed at the ELID-infected a stun grenade. The cylinder shaped object, after bouncing off the ground once then exploded into a blast of blinding white light. Taking the full brunt of the blast, the ELID-infected let out a screech as it stood in place, paralyzed.

"Now, Advisor!"

In the very back of the room, Eagle lying on the ground with his rifle deployed then fired a blue-tipped with a light blue ring bullet at the ELID-infected. Upon contact the bullet exploded and gouged away a large chunk of the ELID's right shoulder, revealing its deformed heart.

Kneeling on one knee next to Eagle, Springfield stilled her breath and took the shot. The bullet pierced cleanly through the ELID's heart as it screeched in pain. Deeming Eagle as the current biggest threat, the ELID charged straight at him despite the hail of bullets unleashed at it. Knowing that it's coming for him, Eagle then led it away from the group and stopped before the central elevator shaft.

With another screech, the ELID charged through every piece of furniture in its way straight at Eagle. The moment it was only an arm length away from him, Eagle then leapt into the air and over the ELID, using it as a foothold to gain himself some distance while also kicking it into the elevator shaft, and for the finishing touched, he fired another explosive bullet right at the base of the back tendril, taking out its brain in the process.

With a death throe, the ELID fell down the elevator shaft and that was the last they've seen of it. Well, the last of this one, anyway.

"Now it should stay dead for good. But we can't stay here any longer. With all this noise we made, either the Sangvis will be storming here any minute or another one of these will come. All units, move out!"

* * *

Half an hour later, at the entrance into the city.

It has been more than an hour since they departed from the last Sangvis outpost. The journey here was uneventful, but the snowstorm was much worse they anyone could have ever imagined. Even with the winter gear they got, their advance was still impeded much longer than Tiger would have liked.

According to the coordinates Eagle received from squad 404, Intruder's main force is positioned mostly on the other side of the city from where they currently are, with only very few patrol troops on this side so for the time being they should be safe. Heading further into the city, the group then took shelter inside what appears to be an art museum.

While Echelon 1 and 2 split up to secure the perimeter, the AR Team then made a beeline for the tallest building. The moment they entered the city, Tiger has been trying to contact Eagle to no avail. His sensor is still picking up a faint signal coming from that tallest building so even with the interference from the ELID particles in the air, at this range the call should be able to get through without much issue. As such, M4 had decided to take SOP-II and AR-15 with her to check on the situation.

Moving through the small alleyways then crossing the snow-covered street, the trio soon arrived the entrance into the building which is now blocked by debris. Circling around, they found the emergency exit. Weathered and battered after many years without maintenance, the rusty metal door easily unhinged itself from the frame with just a light push.

"We're coming up on the signal. It should be around here somewhere." Inside, they tracked down Eagle's signal through the scope and it took them to the reception desk in the main lobby. But all they found was only his earpiece, tucked and hidden away under a small pile of rubble.

"Mr Tiger, there's no one here but we found Mr Eagle's earpiece." M4 contacted Tiger and as expected, their call got through with little to no static at all.

"Explains why he isn't responding. But Eagle wouldn't just leave his earpiece even if it was to fall off. He must have left a message with it." Hearing that, M4 then noticed that the earpiece was indeed blinking with a dim blue light. Pressing on it, the earpiece projected a holographic map of the city, with meticulous details of Sangvis troop's patrol routes, points of interest and other essential information that might give them an edge over the enemy.

And the message he left behind with the earpiece was-

"There!" AR-15 suddenly turned around and shot five times into the air. A second later, a Scout came crashing down and immediately after that, the siren was sounded.

"I'm sorry, Mr Tiger! We got seen!"

"Never mind that, just get out of there!" Dashing back to the emergency exit, the trio exited the building just in time for Intruder to make yet another broadcast.

"I have been waiting, G&K troops. For a bunch that proudly declared they'd be coming for me, your punctuality could really use some improvements."

"But that no longer matter. Welcome, all of you, to my holy ground. As promised, for such a special occasion I've prepared a present just for you, my dear guests. I hope you enjoy it and your stay here." The moment the broadcast ended, multiple explosions simultaneously occurred at different locations of the city. Following that, was many screeches that belonged to neither human nor beast.

"W-what was that sound just now? Mr Tiger, what just happened?"

"The worst case scenario. Through whatever method, Intruder seems to have rounded up all the ELID-infected in this area and turned them into her personal army of abominations."

"But even if she somehow managed to put a leash on these ELIDs, there is no way to actually control them. The earpiece must have been Eagle trying to warn us about their presence, but now that situation has progressed to this state, they're the one in biggest trouble."

"No, big sis…"

"Now listen, Eagle should have left a hint or something about their next destination along with his message. Use that to track down his team and regroup with them."

"What about you?"

"We will cause as loud a commotion as possible to draw the ELID away from you. Now go! We will where Intruder will be, so let's meet up there for the final showdown!" Not letting M4 have any chance to retort or second-guessing, Tiger cut off the call on his own. As M4 was still hesitating, from all direction, both on the street and on the roof of the buildings, hundreds of ELIDs had already started to converge toward the direction of the art museum.

"We must go, M4." Placing a hand on her shoulder, AR-15 hustled.

"…Right. Godspeed to you, Mr Tiger." Looking over her shoulder, M4 bit her lips and the trio then ran off toward the opposite direction.

* * *

**A little early, but to you guys who do celebrate it, hope you have a happy lunar new year.**


	14. Chapter 13

**And another chapter done, just in time for Continuum Turbulence. Ho boy, here comes more depression.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Puppet of the Opera**

* * *

After ending the call with M4, Tiger then connected his visor to the scout drone's camera feeds and via motion tracker there were dozens of ELIDs already in the vicinity, nearly tripled that number still coming at full speed.

"Adjutant, we have visual confirmation on the enemy, multiple targets approaching! Your order, sir!" peeking through the cracks of the barricaded window, MG5 reported the situation at the front to Tiger as she and other Dolls behind her readied their guns.

"We're escaping out the back. Ingram, PPSh, P7, StG, and SPAS, go secure our escape route then plant the remaining thermite canister and wait for my signal. MG3 and MG5, that front entrance is on complete lockdown until they're done. Let's get to it, ladies!"

"Yes sir!" following Tiger's order, the Dolls then split up to carry out their respective task.

Taking point, SPAS-12 led the other four toward the back door of the art museum which was barricaded with wooden beams. But for a T-Doll such as SPAS-12, they might as well be wet papier-mache.

With a single kick, all the wooden beams immediately snapped into halves and the large metal door then swung open. The four exited outside and quickly scanned their surrounding when an ELID spotted them and made an untimely appearance. The ELID let out a barbaric roar and charged at the group, when SPAS-12 brought up her shield and took the charge head-on.

"Hnng, aren't you a ferocious one!" SPAS-12 said to herself when the charge connected with her shield and she felt herself being pushed back. While the ELID was occupied with her, Ingram, PPSh-41, P7 and StG44 quickly circled to its flanks and showered it with lead yet the ELID completely ignored them.

"Right! Now is the time for Adjutant's 'contingency plan'!" emptying her gun on the ELID's legs, SPAS-12 then took one step back and proceeded to bash her shield at the ELID, sending it tumbling backward. Quickly, she reloaded her gun with a speed loader then took aim at the ELID's head and pulled the trigger. Following that was an explosion, and that disfigured head was no more.

* * *

Splitting his shield into two and anchored them down at the two window, Tiger had denied the ELIDs outside two potential entrances into the building, leaving them no choice but to break through the front door where two machinegun barrels are currently trained on it.

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Sounds of great force being exerted along with barbaric roars could be heard in succession, outside the ELIDs must be trying to smash the door down with their large grotesque tendril-like limbs. With each smash, the furniture used to re-barricade the door got pushed away even further.

Alas, after taking too many beating from the horde of abominations the wooden door was smashed into thousand pieces, furniture both large and small got blown everywhere, and bullets started flying.

"Open fire!"

In complete synchronization, MG3 and MG5 pulled the trigger on their guns as barrage after barrage of bullets were hailed at the first three ELIDs that got through the door and exploded upon contact and blown their rotten flesh away. The three ELIDs let out a death throe and fell down on the floor but another wave had already taken their place and using that momentum, one of them managed to slip through.

Kneeling on one knee, Tiger aimed at the center mass of the approaching ELID and fired three shots in rapid succession. Three silver slug shots with elongated body and pointed tip left the barrel and after flying a short distance, the bottom caps then combusted and separated themselves from the shots. Gaining a suddenly spike in velocity, the three slugs easily bored through the ELID's flesh and detonated into gory mess from inside.

Barbaric roars completely drowned out by ceaseless barrages of gunfire and before long the ground was completely covered in empty casings. Still no news from the other team yet, meaning their job is still not yet done. As such, the trio continued to fire their guns and hold down the line.

"I'm out!" MG3 shouted as she reached for the next ammo box. Noticing that opening in their attack, two ELIDs immediately pounced toward the left flank, but Tiger was faster. With his tomahawk, he cleaved one ELID cleanly into two with an overhead swing then swiftly tossed a grenade into the other's mouth and sent it flying back toward the others with a kick.

"Adjutant sir, we're all set over here!" on the radio then came StG44's voice.

"Copy that." quickly retrieving his two shields, Tiger then lobbed two Cryo grenades at the door as the ELIDs were frozen solid and became a barricade themselves.

"Time to move, you two!" now that their role here is done, the trio then regrouped with the others and sealed the door shut behind them. It didn't take long for the ELIDs to break free as they immediately gave chase after their prey, unknowingly heading further into a deathtrap set for them.

A few seconds later, the entire art museum burst into a giant bonfire as everything inside and nearby buildings were also engulfed in a wave of raging fire. By then, the whole group had already retreated quite a distance away from there and was planning out the course to their next destination.

"Where to now, Adjutant?" Asked MG5.

"The theatre on the other side of the city, that's where we will rendezvous with the other group and where Intruder will be."

"As per the plan, we will continue to cause a ruckus as we move to draw the enemy's attention away from the AR Team. SPAS-12, you and me will take point. MG3, PPSh-41 and Ingram, MG5 and StG44, keep our flanks and our six clear."

"It's going to be quite a trek so make sure to keep up and do not, under any circumstances, wander off on you own. Are we clear?"

"Yes sir!"

"Alright, let's move out!"

* * *

Sometimes later, at a different location.

With Tiger's group drawing every single enemy in the city toward them, the AR Team was able to progress smoothly without encountering as much as a Scout, left alone an entire squadron.

Following the hints left behind with the earpiece, the trio was making their way toward the destination that would be their rendezvous point with Eagle's group. With the snowstorm still going, visibility was extremely poor. But as they approached closer and closer, the silhouette of a giant metal structure could be seen a fair distance away.

"Is that the place, M4?" AR-15 asked, pointing at that giant metal structure.

"If I am interpreting these coordinates correctly then…no, that is definitely the place, I am sure of it." M4 quickly corrected herself and answered with confidence.

"Then let's hurry and get inside. I am freezing out here!" Said a shivering SOP-II, pulling the cloak of her winter gear closer to herself.

Approaching even closer, the giant metal structure finally revealed itself to be an antenna tower so the place they're about to enter must be a broadcast station.

Just like every building they came across on the way here, both outside and inside are completely in ruin. The three proceeded deeper inside with flashlight on when AR-15 shouted at SOP-II.

"SOP-II, wait!"

"Huh, w-what?"

"What's wrong, AR-15?" when M4 asked, AR-15 then walked toward SOP-II and crouched down.

"A tripwire." AR-15 pointed her flashlight at the spot between the debris as a thin, barely noticeable silver wire shone brightly under the light. She then stood up and started looking around with her flashlight as M4 and SOP-II also did the same.

After a while, they found at least six more making it a total of seven tripwires, all of which are very well-hidden throughout the room. Each tripwire is connected to a small tin can with pebbles inside so they assumed they acted as some sort of alarm.

If that was the case then one would have sufficed, why seven? Not only that, only two of the tripwires were set up in spots where someone or something would actually walk by, the rest are instead tucked away in a corner or a hidden angle. So they must serve some purpose other than as a defensive countermeasure.

As they continued to examine the tripwires, M4 suddenly remembered something and began checking inside the tin cans. Just as she thought, the amount of pebble inside each can differ from the others, and they are exactly from one to seven pebbles.

"What's wrong, M4?" SOP-II asked when seeing M4 bringing up the holographic projection of the coordinates inside the earpiece.

"While deciphering the coordinates, there were a few numerals that I just couldn't make sense of no matter what. These tripwires are not meant for uninvited guests, but for us and those numerals must be the password." Searching through the deciphered message, M4 found exactly seven numbers. She then directed SOP-II and AR-15 to pull on the tripwires in a specific order. When the last wire was pulled, another pebble then dropped down from above, along with it a small piece of paper.

'2F, on air', the paper read.

The three then proceeded upstairs to the second floor and began looking for the studio since that's the only room with the sign 'on air' above the door. Creeping their way through the hallway filled with debris, then entering through the metal door that creaked noisily they finally saw a dim white light shining from inside.

"Ah, you're finally here, M4." And waiting for them just inside was M16, leaning against the wall, the white dim light was from a glow stick on the ground.

"Big sis M16…" M4 muttered then dropped her gun and ran toward her. A touching reunion was what M16 thought this scene was supposed to be, but as M4 got closer and closer and began to raise her hand, her face became paler and paler.

"Wait, h-hold on a second-" she tried to defend herself but it was already too late. Her pale blue complexion immediately became beet red when M4's hand slapped across her cheek.

"Ouch! You didn't even hold back! I'm injured, you know! That slap could have seriously killed me!"

"That would have been perfect! We wouldn't even have to download a backup copy of you, we would just start building you from scratch and reset your memory!" in her anger, M4's emotion exploded as she blurted out at M16.

"Oh please, spare me. It wasn't easy making it out alive, at least let me see a smile from my family!"

The situation suddenly devolved into a quarrel between sisters as SOP-II and AR-15 simply stood on the sideline and watched the whole event unfolded. It wasn't until G36 suddenly appeared and broke it up for them did they stop.

The group then headed deeper inside where the rest of the group was waiting for them.

"Welcome back, G36. And it's good to see you're finally here, Ms M4." Large but slightly cramped for its size, the studio was lit up by several glow sticks placed at the center of the room. Seated next to the wall was Springfield and Skorpion with the latter snuggling inside the former's cape because out of all of them, she was the one who dressed the most lightly.

"Sister Springfield!" also shivering to the core herself, SOP-II then ran toward her and immediately snuggled herself in the remaining spot.

"Poor child, you're freezing right now. Fufufu, come here, big sis will warm you right up~."

Leaving the noisy bunch to their own device, AR-15 quietly walked to the next room where all the recording equipment and electronics were kept to see Eagle tinkering with the corpses of a Ripper and a Jaeger.

"Glad to see you all have made it here safely, Ms AR-15. Please wait just a bit. I am almost done setting up over here." Glancing over his shoulder, Eagle greeted AR-15 whilst still tinkering with the two corpses

"Those were some elaborate puzzles you left for M4, Advisor. If the message is already encrypted under three clearance levels and is only unlocked with M4's neural wavelength, then why even set up those puzzles?"

"Would saying it's a contingency plan be an acceptable answer? Of course it wouldn't. Well, it was on Chief's order."

"On Adjutant's? For what purpose?"

"To see just how far her potential will take her. By constantly present her with a test using actual combat situations such as our current as the base, we gauge the current growth of her capability and even then we're still don't have a firm grasp yet."

"Those 'elaborate puzzles'? They're codes that we…that Chief and me developed so supposedly only we can understand them. But you all being here means that Ms M4 was able to decipher them despite never having seen them before. Such a feat already speak volume for itself, don't you think?" hearing Eagle's explanation, AR-15 could only listen in silence. On the surface, she's making an expression saying 'of course, it's M4 we're talking about', but deep inside…

"Advisor-"

"Mr Eagle." As AR-15 was about to call out to Eagle, from behind her M4 entered the room and called out to him first.

"Greeting, Commander. It's good to see you're still unscathed."

"It wouldn't have been possible without Mr Tiger drawing the enemy away. And for getting big sis M16 back, I thank you both deeply. No word could possibly describe my gratitude for you two." Placing both her hands together, M4 thanked Eagle with a deep bow.

"We're only following your order so you don't have to, really."

"Ah, here is your earpiece back."

"Oh, right on time then." Receiving the earpiece back, Eagle then pulled out a cord and plugged it into the plug port on the nape of the Jaeger. The Jaeger and the Ripper, both of them have had their CPUs and their Cores rigged to the electronic equipment by the wall. Even after talking with him and watching him work for a while now, AR-15 still couldn't determine just what is that he's doing with them.

"I've been wondering for a while now, what were you doing with those Sangvis?" hearing her ask, Eagle then stood up and began running a hacking interface on the earpiece.

"I'm borrowing the antenna tower to boost our signal range. By hacking into these two's CPU, we can use them as a medium to eavesdrop on the Sangvis comms. Well, try to, at least."

"Try to?"

"Since Sangvis dolls save the Ringleaders have no need for verbal communication, their language is entirely in the form of codes, binary and the like, so even if we eavesdrop we can't really understand what they're saying."

"Chief tried to solve the problem by replicating the language center from Hunter's DigiMind to translate their language into ours, but Zener network isn't exactly his forte. Due to pressing time, all we have to work with is an experimental version with a fair warning that the coding is a total hot mess."

"I'll be damned, all this set up might actually be just a waste of time now." Eagle spoke with a defeated tone while scratching the back of his head. Just when he was about to submit completely, AR-15 then spoke up.

"Sir, may I have a look at it?"

"When I got captured by Hunter, I've got the chance to look into their Zener network coding. Perhaps I can do something about it."

"…Alright, here you go." Eagle then handed the earpiece over to AR-15 as she plugged the cord into the port on her nape and began tampering with the coding. Several times she made a very annoyed expression followed by a long sigh, other times she nodded her head slightly while probing her chin. Since the whole process takes place only inside her DigiMind, to Eagle and M4 it looks like she's performing a solo comedy show.

About a minute or so later, AR-15 was finally done with tampering and the comms signal transmitted through the Sangvis's Zener network was, slowly but surely, translated into something that isn't just 0s and 1s.

"You did it, AR-15!" M4 complimented as the three of them focused on the translated message being displayed on the holographic projection. The moment the entire message was fully translated, however, their expression immediately turned grim.

* * *

After escaping from the art museum, Tiger's group had taken the long detour to draw the ELIDs away from the AR Team. Without a defensive position and having to constantly move, the battle with the ELIDs became just a death game of tag. Worse, by the time a third of the ELIDs was taken out, they were hit with a surprise attack by a Jaeger task force.

With this sort of situation which makes being stuck between a rock and a hard place seems much more preferable, they had to resort to tactics that utilize the environment to their advantage. Blowing up a gas station and setting up an entire building block on fire in the process, for example.

Thanks to that, the number of ELIDs had dropped significantly and the smoke cloud created by the explosion had prevented the Jaegers from picking them off from afar. Sensing that the tide isn't going the way she wanted it to, Intruder had immediately dispatched her main force.

Main street.

Slamming his shield down, Tiger fiercely charged a short distance forward, sending an entire Ripper squadron flying as a result. Following up on his lead, MG3 and MG5 with their gun deployed immediately fired at the Vespids that are in completely disarray in the back.

"StG, Scouts!"

"I see them!" aiming up her gun, StG44 launched a grenade into the air toward a swarm of Scouts. Seeing grenade, they immediately dispersed as Tiger quickly pulled out his handgun and shot at the grenade, detonating it mid-air.

At the same time, SPAS-12 along with Ingram, PPSh-41 and P7 had ran into one of the building to intercept the Jaeger task force that has been an annoyance to them to no end, all the while with an ELID right on their tail.

"That should be the last of them!" hearing PPSh-41 and P7 reported back after taking out the last two Jaegers, Ingram then contacted Tiger.

"Oy Tiger! We're done over here!"

"And the ELID?" on his question, Ingram looked toward the door where SPAS-12 was giving it her all to hold back the ELID right outside.

"Sorry! It's an all-girls party in here and you can't enter!"

"Still right on our ass! Where to next?"

"Get to the roof and escape to the next building! You have 20 seconds so step on it!"

"You heard him! Let's go girls!" Ingram then led PPSh-41 and P7 and ran to the roof first. After making sure that all three of them have escaped successfully, SPAS-12 then also let go of the door and bolted at full speed.

Down on the ground, Tiger quickly scanned the building and found a total of three primary support pillars. With a combination of Cryo and Impact grenade, he froze then collapsed two and took care of the last one with his shotgun.

With all three of its support pillars gone, the building began to collapse on itself. By that time, SPAS-12 had already reached the roof and took a leap of faith to the next where the other three was already waiting for her. With its large and sluggish body, the ELID could not get out in time and was buried along with the rubble when the whole structure came down.

"Next time, no more extra serving for you!" holding onto her own dear life as the three of them tried to pull SPAS-12 up, Ingram rebuked her for her weight which was met with fierce retaliation.

* * *

"That should be the last of those abominations…" muttering to himself, Tiger then glanced toward the theater. Another hour has gone by, the number of enemy has dwindled considerably but it is still not at a number where they can just brute force their way through.

There are only two 8-rounds mags left in his reserve and it must be just as bad for the others. He needs to come up with a solution and fast, or else whatever ammunition they have left would soon be used up and they would become no more than sitting ducks.

As Tiger was about to order both units to prepare for a pincer attack on the Sangvis force at the front gate, a barrage of bullets was hailed at the Sangvis from the side disrupting their formation, at the same time the many Dragoons that were just deployed got taken out by sniper shots from above.

"About damn time you show up, Eagle!"

"Sorry for the delay. We rushed here as fast as possible but there were quite a few stragglers along the way."

"Nevermind that now and just keep up the pressure on them. All units, regroup! We will plow right through their defense a make our last stand inside!"

Lifting his shield up, Tiger began charging straight through the sea of car wrecks like a bulldozer as MG3, MG5 and StG44 followed suit right behind him. Noticing the rampaging Juggernaut a moment too late, by the time the Sangvis all turned their gun back at Tiger he had already sent most of them flying with a bash of his shield.

Using the chance that Tiger created, the rest then also pushed up and set up a perimeter defense around the front entrance of the theater. Leaving his shield behind, Tiger then got inside where M4 and the AR Team was already waiting for him.

"Mr Tiger!"

"Good to see you're still unscathed, Commander. And this must be…"

"M16. A pleasure to be working with you, Adjutant."

"Likewise. Now, time to settle the score with Intruder. Lead us to victory, Commander."

"Right!" nodding to each other, the five of them then headed to the auditorium on the second floor, where the final act is about to begin.

* * *

Auditorium.

The moment they entered the auditorium, the five immediately spread up and took aim, covering the stage from all possible angles.

On the stage, Intruder stood by her lonesome self with two broken spotlights shining upon her, with her back turned toward the audience. Then in an overly dramatic fashion, she turned around like a ballet dancer and with fluid movement, took half a step back and bowed, placing her right hand on her heart.

"So you have arrived, ladies and gents. And this time, you all were right on time. Marvelous, simply marvelous." raising her head, Intruder continued speaking in the same overly dramatic fashion.

"What's your mission really, Intruder!?" a little taken back by the air Intruder is putting on, M4 shouted at her.

"My mission? I was simply ordered to kill time. And to that end, I've gone the extra length to set up this perfect stage, where we all can have fun."

"Fun? You find joy even in this situation?"

"Time flies when you're having fun, don't you agree?" time is pressing on them, yet the enemy before them insisted on continuing her façade. M4 then decided that they cannot get anything out of her at this rate, so she signaled for the others to prepare to engage.

"It's over, Intruder! We will have our answer, even if that means forcing it out of your DigiMind!"

"Over? No, M4A1. With all the main actors presented, the play has just begun." Intruder then raised her hand into the air and snapped her fingers as the curtain behind her was raised. Standing there on the stage was…something that even calling it an 'abomination' would still be an understatement.

To describe it in short, it was an amalgamation of both rotten flesh and soulless machine. Tendril-like limbs sprouting out from the frame of an Aegis. The scarier thing is that, unlike the ones they have been fighting up till now, this one seems to actually be under Intruder's control. Upon seeing the five before it, the Aegis showed no reaction at all but the moment Intruder snapped her fingers again, the thing immediately roared and charged off the stage.

Quickly moving to the front, Tiger caught the Aegis by its electric baton and shield, stopping it from charging any further. The Aegis then swung down the massive tendril on its back, to which Tiger also managed to catch with his auxiliary limbs.

Feeling certain that the Aegis would be completely immobilized in this state, Tiger was trying to think of a way to somehow reach for either his gun or his tomahawk when the Aegis swung its remaining massive tendril at him from the side and sent him crashing through the wall.

The Aegis let out another roar as if to assert its strength on its enemy then also went after Tiger.

"Right…it's a pair, not a singular one." Laying in the pile debris that he had just crashed through, Tiger silently rebuked himself for making such a rookie mistake. By the time he got up, the Aegis had also caught up and was raring to go for another round.

Staring at it for a brief minute, Tiger then began charging up electricity as the blade of the tomahawk held in his left hand began glow bright red. Without uttering a single word or taunt, he simply plunged at the Aegis and hacked away at it.

* * *

Back in the auditorium, the AR Team and Intruder have also engaged in their own battle. As a Command-type Ringleader, Intruder specializes in supporting her troops from long range rather than engaging in the fight herself. However, to think that she's incapable of standing her own ground would be one's biggest mistake. The huge, unconventional looking weapon that she carries serves as both a machinegun for long range engagements, and a rapid-fire chain gun that can shred through virtually anything at close range.

Keeping their heads low while constantly moving between the seats as cover, the AR Team was having a hard time trying to counter Intruder with this relentless hail of bullets that is just waiting to tear them into thousand pieces.

"This goddamn bitch is so annoying!" SOP-II gritted her teeth while blind-firing through the split between the seats. Taking cover not far from there, AR-15 looked around to see if there's anything at all that can help them get out of this situation, the spotlights then caught her attention as she looked up to the scaffold above the stage.

"M4!"

"It worth a shot. Big sis! SOP-II!" understanding AR-15's intention, M4 called out to M16 and SOP-II and signaled at the scaffold with her eyes. They nodded back, and M4 along with AR-15 then returned fire in unison to draw Intruder's attention to them.

"Here comes the bang!" pulling the pin on a flashbang, M16 warned the others with a shout and lobbed it at Intruder. Noticing it just a heartbeat later, Intruder was blinded by the flash and became stunned. With that as her cue, SOP-II launched a grenade from her underbarrel as it exploded and dropped the entire thing down on Intruder.

"Now now, it's only just the climax. Don't go and drop the curtain just yet!" unfortunately, she managed to raise her chain gun in time and shredded the falling scaffold into confetti. But that small timeframe was also enough for them.

Getting up from their cover, the AR Team simultaneously shot at Intruder, forcing her into a defensive position. Being hit relentlessly, Intruder had no choice but to shield herself with her gun, and that was exactly what they were aiming for. As long as they can take out her weapon, they can easily take her down.

Being too dead set on rendering that chain gun inoperable, the four forgot to keep tab on their remaining ammo count and ran out of ammo at the same time.

"!"

"Hehehe, such a marvelous performance of talent. A pity that it was all thwarted by your own flaws." Letting out a small chuckle, Intruder then flipped her gun around and aimed it at the AR Team. Just second before she could pull the trigger, five slug shots had pierced into the ammo box and the barrel and exploded, reducing it to no more than a hunk of high-tech iron scrap. And when Intruder turned her head to where those shots came from, a red-glowing tomahawk spinning in the air was sent flying at her, cleaving her body into halves.

"…So in the end…a machine was still of no match...for a human's cunningness…and perseverance…" lying on the floor with her upper and lower torso feet apart from each other, Intruder finally dropped the overly dramatic tone but her choice of words remained the same. With her finally down for the count, the AR Team quickly got onto the stage and surrounded her.

"I'll ask you one more time, Intruder. Just what is your real objective here?"

"Did I not tell you already? I was ordered to kill time. More specifically…your time."

"Our time…No way…!" when M4 realized exactly just what Intruder was referring to, she subconsciously cried out.

"This…is only the opening ceremony. They've had…plenty of time, to make preparations…The real show…will begin in no time."

"The real show…What is it?" at M4's last question, Intruder reached out her hand toward the ceiling, as if to reach something that she can never grab hold of.

"Oh sweetheart…Drama…is all about…the suspense…" the moment she finished her sentence, the five of them could hear an audible beeping noise coming from every corner of the auditorium. Intruder then snapped her fingers as the explosive charges planted all over the theater began to their sequential detonation.

"Commander, it's time we move!" Tiger shouted as they quickly ran out of the auditorium. Once again having the whole stage to herself, Intruder spoke her last words with a satisfied yet melancholic expression.

"The script has played out just like how it was written…only I was the presumptuous one…To think I even branded myself…as the main villainess…But…going against what was already set in stone…"

"It's not…such a bad feeling…"

* * *

As the sequential detonation continued, the whole building started shaking even more violently. By the time they got down to the first floor, the beams supporting the entire structure were ready to give in any minute. The stairway leading down to the main hall was already within sight, from there it's just a straight shot to the exit. They ran without looking back even once, but the moment they reached the stairway, the floor underneath was the first to collapse and the unfortunate one was SOP-II.

Without thinking twice, Tiger immediately turned around and jumped down the hole after SOP-II

"SOP-II! Mr Tiger!"

"M4, we have to go now!" disregarding the struggling M4, AR-15 and M16 dragged her out of the collapsing building. The moment they got out, not only did the entire building collapsed, but the ground under them had also caved in, creating a giant crater.

"SOP-II! Mr Tiger!" finally got free of AR-15, M4 immediately ran to the edge of the crater and called out for the two of them. Before her there are only rubbles and debris as far as the eye can see, but not a single response. She continued to call out repeatedly but just like the first time, there was only silence.

She continued to call out, to the point she completely forgot about everything else around her, until her throat felt hoarse and she collapsed on her knees.

"No way…" M4 dropped her head dejectedly. When the cloud of smoke and dust had settled down somewhat, the other Dolls immediately slid down the crater and started searching for any sign of those two. From above, Eagle scanned the crater with his goggles, but there was just too much concrete that all he got was interference. Switching the filter of his scan a few times, Eagle then called for the Dolls to dig up a certain spot and like a miracle, their radio picked up a signal.

"Does any…e…read me…Commander…Eagle…" hearing Tiger's voice on the radio, M4 immediately raised her face.

"Mr Tiger!? Are you injured? Is SOP-II with you? Where are you?" the signal is still extremely weak. The Dolls then dug up that spot a little bit more and the call was able to get through without breaking up.

"I'm fine, and SOP-II is here with me. We fell into the basement and had taken shelter inside, but now we're stuck."

"Please hold on! We'll get you two out of there right away!"

* * *

Under the debris.

To not make M4 worried, Tiger had lied that they took shelter in the basement but in fact, when they found the place the blast door was the only thing left that was still intact. Nowhere left to run to and hundreds of tons of concrete and metal are still coming down on them, so Tiger had to ripped the doo out of its hinges and used it to cover the two of them.

Ending the call, he turned on the flashlight on his visor and looked around. The blast door was placed leaning against the wall and held back by the two auxiliary limbs, thanks to that the spot they're in managed to escape being buried by rubbles and debris when they came down. Right now, all they can do is wait and hope that there won't be another cave-in.

"Are you injured, SOP-II?" after checking to make sure at the very least this spot of theirs will be relatively safe until they're dug out, Tiger looked down at SOP-II who was still comfrotably nestling herself on his chest.

"…" with just a glance, there appears to be no serious injury, but SOP-II still did not answer.

"SOP-II?" only until Tiger asked a second did she speak up.

"Hey, Adjutant…"

"What?"

"Can you do that thing one more time?"

"Do what thing?"

"When we were falling, you pulled me in and cushion the fall for me. That thing!"

"Why?"

"…So it's a no?" when SOP-II looked up with slightly disappointed eyes, Tiger let out a very long sigh then wrapped his arms around her.

"Well, not like I have anything else to do. There, happy?"

"Hehehe~, thank you Adjutant!"

"You're a weird one, you know that."

And about 30 minutes later, they were dug out by the rescue team.


	15. Chapter 14

**When you try to fight Nyto without having unlocked HOC yet.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: The Military's job**

* * *

After the long and arduous battle with not only the Sangvis but also the ELID, the Griffin troops returned in triumph. When the top brass found out that they had split up their force to pick up M16 against their order of focusing on eliminating Intruder, there was quite a commotion among the chain of command.

But when the detailed report was presented by Helian, they oculd not find even a single fault worth disciplining for not only did the main objective was achieved, the troops technically did not go against order for the meeting with Squad 404 to obtain intel concerning the mission was also included in the report. Simply put they were all silenced and reluctantly or not, had to let the case slide.

Three days later, with yet another Ringleader down, Base 794 returned to carrying out miscellaneous tasks, more specifically, collecting Sangvis spare parts for Persica as research sample. Of course, the presence of a certain T-Doll with the tendency of ripping her enemies to pieces was especially helpful.

"Oh! These are going to be very helpful! Even against upgraded units, you seem to be having no trouble at all, hats off to you, Mr Boss." Just then receiving the package of Sangvis spare parts on her end, Persica excitedly rummaged through them while conversing on the terminal screen.

"Just so you remember, we're not your personal lackeys, you know." Standing before the terminal with one hand on his hip, Tiger spoke up.

"Don't be so stingy now, Mr Boss. After all, I am lending my precious girls to you so, a favor for a favor, right?"

"Last time I checked, you asked us to look for the Commander, so it's you who owed us a favor."

"Is that so?" seeing Persica replied nonchalantly while still rummaging through the heap of Sangvis spare parts, Tiger let out a sigh. But the next sentence he spoke up was able to gather her attention.

"Anyway, now that we're on the subject,"

"Hm?"

"Why do you still hold back on making contact with M4?" when he posed that question, Persica immediately stopped her hands. At the same time, there was noise of something being knocked over at the door but Persica did not seem to notice.

"Why, you asked? I'm just lazy, no particular reason, really…" Persica answered, but Tiger's unfazed expression was apparent to her that he was not convinced by that answer.

"Well, it's just that for the moment, I have no use for her."

"Doesn't have to be mission-related. You're her creator and called her your 'child', so in a sense you're already her parent. What kind of parent doesn't want to see their children?"

"Ah, no, that's just a way of addressing. I did not mean it literally-"

"So on that note, please come in, Commander." Without letting Persica finish her sentence, Tiger turned toward the door and called out. The metal door then slid open as M4 entered, looking all bashful because she got found out.

"It's, it's been a while, Ms Persica." M4 waved at Persica whose jaw was still hanging agape. Only after a good minute did she regain her composure and replied to M4.

"I-indeed, it has been a while, M4." Exchanging a greeting that was way too formal for the occasion, the two could then only twiddle with their thumbs or stare at each other awkwardly. The two then, in complete sync, looked at Tiger for an icebreaker but by that time he was already walking out of the door.

"Then I'll be stepping out and give you two some privacy." Faster than any of them could react, Tiger promptly made his exit from the stage, leaving the two awkward daughter and parent to their own device.

* * *

"And just what are you three doing?" as Tiger exited the room, he saw Kalina, SOP-II and M16, all three of them pressing their ear against the wall trying to eavesdrop on the conversation.

"Yo, Adjutant." Waved M16, still pressing her ear against the wall.

"Ah, h-hi there, Mr Tiger." Kalina stuttered while waving at Tiger, then she realized that she was still holding a glass cup in her hand and quickly hid it behind her back.

"Hey, Adjutant, is it really Persica M4 is talking to?" SOP-II asked while didn't even even bother to hide or justify for her act of eavesdropping, apparent from how she's still pressing her ear against the wall.

"Yes she is, although it was only pure coincidence that she came while we were talking. Just how in the world can those two be awkward when it's just a small talk with each other?" when Tiger sighed, M16 snickered and finally moved her head away from the wall.

"Wanting them to reciprocate, aren't you considerate, Adjutant."

"More like it's going to take them both forever to gather their courage and make the first move unless someone give them a good push."

"Anyway, is there something you need, Kalina?"

"Ah, right! The mission this time actually came from one of our squadron." Kalina responded while searching for the briefing file on her tablet before handing it over to Tiger.

"The team sent by Helianthus, was it? I remembered they departed the day before after borrowing a few of our Dolls, but just what were their mission exactly-"

"If I recalled, Ms Helian said it was a contract from the military…" Kalina was busy recalling the detail from her memory that she did not notice Tiger's words had come to a sudden halt. And when she finally turned her gaze back to him…

"Wow, that is one impressive expression you're making, Mr Tiger." Yes, his expression was…quite expressive, to say the least.

With both his brows knitted tightly into a single line, one corner of his mouth arched downward as he stared at the words written in the briefing file in disbelief. Perturbed, annoyed, agitated, all of the above, it was that kind of expression.

"'Assisting the military forces in suppressing the rampaging armored units'. Heh, and after failing miserably at keeping their shit together that allowed the Sangvis to get their hands on all those armored units, now they even have the gal to request outside assistance to clean up after their mess?" Tiger continued to skim through the briefing while spewing nothing but scorn and spite all aimed at the military, which came as a surprise for the trio.

From their observation of him, be it during work, break time or in combat, Tiger is the type that will speak his mind but will only reprimand someone when they displayed insubordination, like Ingram and her habit of rushing too far ahead. So seeing him badmouthing the military nonstop like this, they widened their eyes in surprise.

"Anyway, I'd still have some documents and a whole other batch of Sangvis spare parts to deal with today so let Eagle deal with this one." Before any of them could raise a question, Tiger had already skimmed through the entire briefing and only after he handed the tablet back to Kalina did his brows seem to ease up.

"I'll be in Storehouse 2 if you need me. And tell Eagle to 'pack extra for the trip'."

"Adjutant, Adjutant, can SOP-II come too?" and even after he had denied, she still tagged along anyway.

* * *

Shooting range.

With most of the personnel currently running logistics or are away on mission, the shooting range today was much quieter than usual. Kalina entered and looked around to see Eagle and AR-15 talking near the gun rack.

"Ms Kalina." AR-15 was the first to notice Kalina coming in as they both turned to face her when the latter called out.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"Not really, Advisor and I was just talking. Anyway, is something the matter?"

"Actually, yes. Here, Mr Eagle."

"Me?" Eagle raised an eyebrow when Kalina handed the tablet over to him. She then explained that Tiger told her to have him take care of this mission, and after taking a glance at the briefing he finally understood the reason.

"Ah, no wonder since the military is involved in this one." Eagle said to himself like it was a matter of fact, but when she mentioned the last bit that Tiger said, his gaze immediately changed.

"Mr Tiger also said 'to pack extra for the trip', whatever does that mean."

"Oh, Chief said that?" Kalina did not seem to notice, but AR-15 did. Normally Eagle has a very calm and relaxed air about him, but in an instant the air around him changed and his gaze, while not very noticeable, became sharp like that of a predatory bird. Just by seeing that gaze from the side, AR-15 noticed she started swallowing her saliva subconsciously.

"Um, Mr Eagle?"

"Yes?" and just like that, his gaze returned to normal at the drop of a hat when Kalina spoke up.

"I hope this isn't prying too much but…Did something happen between Mr Tiger and the military?"

"Chief and the military? Ah, he made that face again, didn't he?" Eagle could tell exactly the kind of expression Tiger made without even asking. After probing his chin for a while, which got Kalina, and even AR-15, at the edge of their seat, he gave his answer.

"Well, let's just say that some bad bloods happened. One reason is because they got a piece out of him, but mainly because their way of doing things just doesn't sit well with him." Shedding enough light but without revealing too much secret, enough to keep the listener craving for more, that was the kind of answer Eagle gave. And just before either of them could push the story any further, Eagle had promptly shifted the topic back to the mission at hand.

"Anyway, I'll take care of this mission. And this is actually a good chance."

"Why don't you come along, Ms AR-15?"

"Eh?"

* * *

Nightfall, Sector 2.

After the chopper had landed at the temporary campsite, Eagle and AR-15 then got off and there was someone already waiting for them at the helipad.

From her getup it was easy to tell that she's a T-Doll. An outfit that is very reminiscent of the force that ruled the entire underworld more than a century ago, a tall stature and a well-endowed figure, short lavender hair, two red pupils covered by a pair of shades, and in one hand is the weapon that she is partnered with, the Thompson submachinegun.

Leader of one of Helian's taskforces, she is Thompson.

"Evening to you, Boss. You've arrived right in time." Approaching the duo, Thompson gave her salute.

"Evening to you, too, Ms Thompson." Hearing Eagle greeted back so formally, Thompson burst out laughing.

"We're the one requesting your assistance here so no need to be so formal, Boss. Right now among G&K you two are kind of a big deal, especially after your latest operation against the Sangvis. Took us lots of work just to borrow a bit of your time. And this is…" Thompson then shifted her gaze to AR-15 standing slightly behind Eagle as he moved slightly to the side to make some space for her.

"ST AR-15 of the AR Team. Thank you for having me here."

"She's a profession at what she does so just rest assured."

"Aha, that fabled elite squad I've heard so much about. Hahaha, if the Boss has personally vouched for your skill then I guess I can only take your words for it."

"Now then, it is almost time. Shall we move on to the main topic?" on Eagle's cue, Thompson nodded and signaled for the duo to come into the tent. The three of them stood around a large table as Thompson began the briefing.

"For this operation, we have two main objectives."

"First is, of course, to assist the military. In order to do that, we need to sneak a couple of our girls in here, here and here to cause a disturbance among the Sangvis ranks. In other word, infiltration and that's where pro like you comes in, Boss." As Thompson explained the battle plan to them, while AR-15 was still listening quietly Eagle has gotten a grasp on the bottom line.

"In short, our goal is to disrupt the enemy and only that, while the military do most of the heavy lifting."

"You catch on quick, Boss. It is just like you've said, the military wanted to hog all the glory and looks good in the public eyes, but at the same time they must also take precaution to not bite more than they can chew."

"As such, we shall lend them our assistance but only until we have earned our pay. Anything beyond that is their problem."

"I see. And the second objective?" hearing the question, Thompson then pointed at one of their defence point.

"This one here, where most of the Sangvis troops are posted, is the Command Center and the prize that we are aiming for. There are many data that are of great value to the Organization, and our boss lady has explicitly ordered us to retrieve those data."

"Once the operation has reached the final stage, the military will undoubtedly storm the Command Post with everything they have, or bombard it with everything they have, both are scenario we wanted to avoid at all cost. That's why we're counting on you, Boss. Give it your best."

The strategic planning then wrapped up just as the clock hits eight. Making one last equipment check and confirming the route to their first destination, the trio immediately departed. Once the campsite was no longer within their field of view, AR-15 then quickened her pace to match Eagle as she asked him is a slightly muffled voice.

"Advisor, I still don't understand just what is your intention for bringing me along. Like Thompson had just explained, to remain unseen is the key for this mission and there's no one better for the job than you. Then just what reason do I have for being here?"

"Before questioning what is your reason for being here, question what purpose can you accomplish while being here." His words gave AR-15 a momentary pause as she felt like a switch had just been flipped in her DigiMind. Like putting together the last pieces of a puzzle, everything started to click but she is still yet very confused. Only when Eagle placed a hand on her shoulder did her mind return to the present.

"Don't worry, maybe not now but you'll come to understand it soon enough. For the time being, I want you to 'closely observe' all the events that you will come across."

"Now let's go. We have a mission to carry out."

* * *

Time check 20:19.

With a major threat that is the military force being presented in the area, the Sangvis troops have all been recalled back to their three major outposts to prepare for the big confrontation. As such, the security around their station was much tighter than usual with double the amount of patrolling troops.

Making their way to the first Sangvis outpost, an abandoned town located at the foot of a cliff, AR-15 and Thompson followed Eagle's lead, slipping through the gap in their patrol routes to reach their first destination.

From the records in the databank, this town is actually made up of two sections. The part on top of the cliff that was built by the first denizens that settled here was the old town which at the beginning was only a small town meant for workers and miners of a silver mine about more than a klick away from here and their family.

Then, as the industry prosper and more and more people started to come, so did the follow-up services. Quickly grab hold of this chance, the town was expanded and the commercial district was erected at the foot of the cliff. Quickly, what was once just a small town became a full-blown trading-point of goods. Until the ELID started ravaging everything and the war broke out, that is.

According to Thompson's intel, the Sangvis had made their encampment in the commercial district, but that is not to say there won't be any patrolling troops in the old town.

With two parts of the town separated by the terrain, during the expansion of the town a lift system was also built into the cliff face for ease of transportation. With that being the shortest route they can take right, now the three decided to head for the lift system.

"Got it." Jamming his knife into the opening between the door and the frame, Eagle then slowly twisted his knife as the aged and rusty lock gradually gave in to the pressure and broke down. Compared to the lift, the maintenance crew elevator was the safer choice of the two. It was only a two minutes ride to the top, but the moment they arrived the thing they saw caused them breathless.

The edge of the cliff was heavily fortified with Jaguars and heavy ordnance emplacements. Seems the military isn't the only one with the idea of just bombing their opponent back to the stone age. But alas, that is none of their concern.

Moving away from the lift system, they scouted around the area for a bit to get a clear picture of the Sangvis patrol routes. After agreeing on a single building that is a fair distance away from the cliff edge but still close enough to keep an eye on the situation of the commercial district down below, they proceeded to taking out a few of the patrol troops around it before entering inside.

"Hahaha, that was one hell of a ride, Boss! Those Sangvis didn't even know what hit'em." Thompson tried her hardest to suppress her laughter. Throughout all her years as a team leader and being in the thick of battle herself, this was probably the first time she ever faced the enemy so close and with them being none the wiser of her presence nonetheless.

It's true that the optical camouflage trivialized much of the process, but such feat wouldn't have been possible without Eagle. Not only the function and capability of the armor, he must also always remember the distance at which they will be guaranteed safety, and when is the right time that they can breach said distance without raising any suspicion.

"Give me a minute. I need to discuss the next move with my tactician." Moving next to the window, Thompson then contacted her 'tactician'.

"M1911, do you read?" and on the other side of the line, a voice answered back.

"Well well well, much faster than I anticipated. So who did they send? Is it the total hunk blondie? Looks like he just can't wait to see me~."

"Cut it out. I need to deploy some of my girls here, it got a good view on the Sangvis. Any advice?"

"For reconnaissance mostly, right? Then a Handgun would be good. Let's see who do we have…" as M1911 was going over her mental list of available Dolls that are up to the job, their conversation was interrupted by an energetic voice.

"Let me handle it, Ms Thompson! I can do it better than M1911!"

"O-oy, M9!"

"You sure? While we may have secured this building, it is still just outside the enemy's camp so your concealment and safety will be dangling on a thread."

"Don't worry! I've handled countless Sangvis and I also have a few tricks to get me out of a sticky situation up my sleeves! I'm confident I can handle a simple reconnaissance task on my own!"

"Haha, I like the attitude. Alright, the job's your."

"Hehe, thank you, Ms Thompson. I won't let you down, I'll prove to you that I'm far superior than a certain 'granny'."

"Hey, I heard that!"

As have been decided, the recon of this Sangvis camp will be entrusted to M9. After leaving behind some supply and setting up a few safety measures, the trio then exited the old town. The moment they are out of the danger zone, Eagle then slowed and turned around toward the commercial district.

He pulled the bolt on his sniper rifle and loaded a bullet that is painted with a purple crossbones on the tip. He took aim for about two seconds then pulled the trigger. With a suppressor installed and at a distance nearing 900 meters away from the Sangvis's camp, the sound of his gunfire only sounded like the blowing of the night wind.

The entire process was done in less than ten seconds and within that timeframe, not even AR-15 and Thompson who were just a few feet away from him were aware of his actions. Pulling the bolt once more to eject the casing, he then rejoined the other two.

* * *

Making their way to the next destination, the mission continued to proceed smoothly. The most they have to deal was a few patrol troops along the way, and only once did they encounter a squad of armored machine units.

"Everything's proceeding smoothly so far, Thompson." M1911 spoke through the radio as the three approached closer to the second destination.

"Ha, guess who was put in charge of the operation here." Thompson then responded back with a confident tone. Hearing that, M1911 quickly reminded her of the actual obstacle that is still ahead.

"Don't get too ahead of yourself yet. We still have a couple more locations to cover. Not to mention, some of the T-Dolls we have…some real problematic T-Dolls…" M1911's voice trailed off slightly and Thompson already knew just who was it that she's referring to.

"I've got two pros with me here, infiltration is just a child's play. But yes, I get where you're coming from. It's her, right?"

"Have you thought about how to deal with her? Without ruining too much working atmosphere…"

"Heh, you know that I'm not Springfield. I'll just have to work things out slowly." After about five more minutes of walking through the woods, they finally arrived at the recon spot of the second Sangvis camp. A ranger outpost that had been repurposed into a resupply station and a temporary stop for troops.

Pushing the old wooden door opened as it creaked slightly, the trio then got inside. The inside is a bit dusty, but the supplies are still intact. However, the one that is supposed to be stationing here did not come to greet them as planned. They got up to the lookout spot and there was still no one.

Thompson was about to call M1911 to ask about the whereabouts of the one stationing here, but Eagle, after a quick scan of the building, already knew that she's playing a prank on them. He walked to the corner where a stash of supply was covered with a blanket on top and pulled it down.

There was, indeed, only a stash of supply under the blanket. At that moment, there was the creaking sound of something pressing against the wooden wall above. Without looking up, Eagle quickly took three steps backward as a shadow then landed before him. With her surprise attack seen through which was actually well within her expectation, the shadow then immediately transitioned into an overhead leap.

"Fancy meeting you here, hotshot." Landing behind him, Ingram clung onto his neck and gave a light touch on his nose with her index.

"Yes, fancy meeting you here too, Ingram. This is fundamentally a covert op, no? I thought you preferred things that are more hectic."

"Oh, you know me. Just another one of my whim. Although I must say I was sorta tricked into this one…" Ingram's voice then trailed off.

Even after the stunt she had just pulled, Eagle was completely calm without a sign of getting angry, such is just his nature.

"Oy, MAC-10! Just what did we talk about in exchange of me letting you in on the team?" However, such undisciplined behavior did not bode well with the other two as it made especially Thomspon quite upset.

"Oh, I still remembered it clearly all right. I promised to follow your order in exchange for some excitement in my life, but look at what I get now! What I want is a bloodbath, Thompson! Not scurrying around in some dinky outpost like a rat!" still clinging onto Eagle's neck, Ingram retorted, venting out all her aggression.

"And I've already told you we're on an infiltration mission beforehand but you still insisted on joining! We're doing business here, MAC-10. There's no reason to splurge our own money if we can just use other's." there was plenty of finger pointing neither of them have any intention of backing down.

Staying on the sideline, AR-15 just couldn't stand it any longer. Although Eagle had told her to closely observe the events that she will come across, she feels the need to do something and quick or the entire operation will be jeopardized at the rate this quarrel is going. So as she was about to step in, the ground shook slightly as the sounds of explosion reached their ears.

"Was that…artillery fire?" AR-15 mumbled and immediately Thompson received a call from M1911.

"Talk to me, what happened?"

"Nothing good. The military started their operation early, and where M9 is stationing just became the frontline."

"Seems they really don't have even an ounce of trust in us. Do you have any back-up plans?"

"Of course I do. Who do you take me for?"

"Then I leave her case to you. Let's get a move on, Boss. And Ingram."

"What?" Ingram replied irritably, but when she saw Thompson reached out her hand and hand her a detonator, the frown on her face quickly eased up into a wide grin.

"We're doing business here so orders from above are absolute. But once the job is done, I don't care what is it that you do. A bloodbath, heck even letting hell loose, as long as it is within permissible range and you don't get caught for it."

"Heh, looks like you're not as dull as you made yourself out to be."

* * *

Wrapping up the business with Ingram, the three then left the ranger outpost and immediately headed for their last destination, the Sangvis Command Post.

"Was just now also an order from Ms Helian?" running through the woods at full speed, Eagle asked Thompson.

"No, it was my decision alone. Being in charge of a team where every single member is either a problematic child or a troublemaker, you have to constantly think outside of the box and slowly you learn how to reach a compromise so that both sides will benefit."

"But is that really okay, though? What if someone caught wind of it and report it to the higher ups?"

"Then I'll have to silence them before they have the chance to. But if it's you, Boss, then I guess I can only bet my money on your whim." Understanding just what is it Eagle is implying with his words, Thompson answered with a small chuckle. Eagle then glanced over to AR-15 to ask for her opinion and she gave a simple answer.

"I'll follow whatever call you make, Advisor. Besides, I was order to simply 'closely observe' so I have no obligation to report anything." And with that, Eagle then also gave his final verdict to Thompson.

"Well, officially we're a support unit meaning we follow whoever the leader of the operation is. I guess there's 'nothing significant to report' then." Said Eagle while making a gesture of pulling a zipper across his mouth. Their surprise but also somewhat within expectation response made Thompson burst out into a hearty laugh.

"Hahahaha, then I thank you for your understanding, Boss."

Roar of gunfire and explosion reverberated in the atmosphere, cannon shells and AA fire lighting up the entire night sky, at the Sangvis Command Post an intense battle between them and the military, both sides going neck and neck with each other.

By the time the three of them arrived, the battlefield was already littered with corpses of both machine and human soldier, but considering the size of their forces such number was only the 'disposable vanguard'. Only until now did they bring out the big gun.

"You sure are taking your sweet time, Thompson! Tell me quick who the hell do I shoot?!" at the recon spot, there was a T-Doll dressed in red with long hair of a similar color already waiting for them, But the moment they arrived, she immediately yelled at Thompson while still aiming down the scope but the rifle was rather shaky and her index seemed very itchy to pull the trigger at the first chance she gets.

"Do you even have to ask, M21?" her name is M21. When Thompson responded to M21'a question with one of her own, she finally calmed down and her aim became much steadier.

"Then under the condition that we finish the mission, raise the barrel by 1cm…How does that sound?"

"Under the contract's permissible range, play around a little. So, you do you." At that moment, yet another artillery barrage rained down on the Sangvis Command Post. Clicking her tongue, Thompson turned to Eagle.

"I'll leave this place to your expertise, M21. Time for me to earn my pay. Let us be on our way, Boss."

* * *

Fighting such an intense battle with the military since both side possessed armored machine unit, with the military possibly being on the higher-end with their technology, the Sangvis had concentrated even their reserve troops to the fore front which made their job of getting in even easier.

Infiltrating from the back, the three encountered the Sangvis commander dummy and her escorts. After taking her out, the movement of Sangvis armored units instantly became extremely sluggish, enabling the army to push their offense but at the same time that means they also do not have much time left.

Kicking down the door of their central command, Thompson then immediately began to extract the data that Helian wanted. In that mean time, Eagle and AR-15 then ran to the front to fulfill their end of the contract even when the military was the one who jeopardized the entire operation first.

"Alright, it's time we actually get to work."

Posted at the window, the two began to scout out the current tide of the battle through their scopes. After that artillery barrage, the Sangvis frontal assault troop has been scattered and for the time being is unable to regroup due to poor visibility whereas the military with their higher-end units are quickly moving in for the kill.

"Bearing 318, just beyond the smoke column of the downed battle tank, do you see that squad of Aegises?"

"I see them."

"Now, bearing 26, see those two approaching military squads? They're blending in with the smoke to remain undetected, so let's blow their cover away." Such an outrageous order was easily spoken by Eagle. Yet AR-15, she did not spare even a single thought to question him and only followed up with a calm voice.

"We're assisting the Sangvis then?"

"Not exactly. Considering the contract, assisting the military is the logical course of action. However, considering our mission, we need to keep them away from here until our objective is achieved. And to that end, we're going to orchestrate a string of 'unfortunate accidents'."

"So are you ready?"

"Yes, following your lead, Advisor." AR-15 nodded back. The two of them then inhaled deeply to regulate their breathing and synchronized their pulse. Following Eagle's lead, AR-15 angled her shot as the bullet bounced off the armor plating of the downed tank and toward the direction of the two military squads, surprising and causing them to be wary.

Following that, Eagle shot an Incendiary round at the fuel tank in the back, causing a huge explosion. The blast not only blew the smoke away, also tricked the military squads into thinking their cover had been blown as they immediately halted their advance and hunkered down for an ambush. At the same time the Sangvis Aegis squad was alerted of the enemy presence and quickly took the initiative to attack first.

Bearing 351, another military squad approached, they're moving between covers that are Manticore wrecks. Chambering the next bullet, this time an AP round, Eagle shot at the Manticore that the military is moving toward to, boring a hole at the connecting section of is main cannon and body. Then AR-15 also took her shot, the bullet pierced through the air and precisely into the hole opened up by Eagle.

With its power core that is still active penetrated, the Manticore gave a sudden jolt before exploding in a massive burst of energy similar to an EMP, instantly taking out the military squad's machine units by short-circuiting them.

"And…done!" a few minutes later, Thompson finally extracted all the required data from the Sangvis central command. She then notified Eagle and AR-15 as the three promptly made their escape from the Sangvis Command Post.

"Now, Ingram!" Thompson gave the signal as on the other side of the line, Ingram raised the detonator in her hand high into the air and pressed the button. After a brief instance of silence, the Sangvis command post was blown up high into the sky.

* * *

Half an hour later, G&K temporary campsite.

Finishing wrapping up all the loose ends on their end, Eagle, AR-15 and Thompson then returned to the campsite to see the entirety of Thompson's squad had all assembled and was chatting happily with each other. And among them there was even a familiar face from another base.

"Ms Thompson!" seeing Thompson approaching, M9 waved at her with the same energetic tone as back then.

"Good work out there, girls. Especially you, M9. Considering your post was suddenly caught in the crossfire, you getting out of there unscathed was nothing short of a miracle.

"Hehehe, I told you I have a few tricks up my sleeves, didn't I?" M9 smiled back at Thompson's compliment while making a victory sign.

"Anyway, just what the hell actually happened back there?" M1911 asked, referring to the military starting the operation earlier than expected.

"I'm not so sure of it myself. I was keeping watch on the Sangvis as per your order when all their troops suddenly went berserk and stormed the military's camp."

"Berserk? You sure it wasn't just one of their surprise attack tactics?"

"No, when I said 'stormed', I mean it in the literal sense! They charged with abandon at the military troops, not even care about the fact that they're walking in the line of fire. And when they have sustained enough damage, the Sangvis troops then went 'kaboom' like a bunch of suicide bombers!"

Even after asking her about the situation of the first Sangvis outpost, M9's words only gave all of them even more questions instead of answer. Then as she glanced over to Eagle and AR-15 who were talking to each other near the helipad, Thompson then recalled a similar incident that is the battle against Hunter when all Sangvis troops also went berserk and started attacking each other. In her gut, a strange feeling welled up but she decided not to say anything. After all, she still owed a debt to those two.

* * *

"So, have you gotten your answer yet?" leaning against a stash of supply crate, Eagle asked AR-15 who was also doing the same.

"I am still unsure if I have gotten any, to be honest. However, at the very least I feel like I've gotten a lead on how to reach those answers. Thank you for letting me accompany you today, Advisor."

"That's good then. Just remember, Ms AR-15. We are the ones who hunt, but we must choose wisely the time to pull the trigger and the prey that's worth hunting."

A few minutes later, two choppers finally arrived to take them back to their bases. Getting on the chopper, AR-15 looked out to the far reaching horizon as the sun began to rise. The light reflecting in her eyes is that of the blinding radiance and also the light of her newfound resolve.


	16. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: The newcomers**

* * *

G&K Frontline Base 794, 7:35.

With the sound of engine roaring, a large trailer escorted by two smaller armored cars could be seen passing through the front gate. On the side of the large trailer, was the brand of the company that introduced Dolls to this dying world, the IOP Manufacturing Company.

It was two days later following the fiasco that is the military campaign against Sangvis Ferri in Sector 2. The team dispatched by Helian, Thompson squadron, with the assistance of Eagle AR-15 had successfully aided the military in suppressing the Sangvis armored units and also achieved their own goal. Afterward, it was decided that they will be stationing at Base 794 as a liaison with HQ.

Regarding Thompson, after hearing from Eagle's observation of her during the operation, Tiger was immediately intrigued, and after going through her profile he was genuinely impressed.

While her specs of course cannot compete with the high-performing military grade T-Dolls, Thompson is praised for her charisma and leadership by every Doll who had fought under her. What really stood out was her combat record which is impossible to find even a single blemish within. Not to mention she's also willing to bend the rules to her own convenience long as it helps her achieve the greater good of the organization, here being G&K, a trait that is very much to Tiger's liking.

She's a perfect candidate. And the final consensus was that, Thompson, along with a few other Dolls will be appointed as Assistant. Outside of combat, they will be helping in handling the personnel management, and should a Doll's performance came to meet with their standard, they're also granted the privilege to appeal for said Doll's promotion.

And today is the first big trial where their skill will be put to the test. The arrival of a new batch of T-Dolls.

* * *

As the cargos were being transported out of the large trailer via forklifts, from the two armored cars two groups of 12 T-Dolls in total then exited from the back. Carrying the weapon they're partnered with and dressed in all kinds of different attire, each tell a story of their wearer's life before taking up arms, the newly arrived T-Dolls slowly made their way toward the main building…at least that's how it was supposed to be.

"Hello there and welcome to Base 794, everyone…is what I'd like to say but where is everyone else?!" in charge of the reception was Kalina and G36. When Kalina saw that a few of the group had vanished without a trace, she immediately dropped her high-spirited opening and went into panic mode.

At the same time, Reception room.

"Is it really okay having Ms Kalina receive the newcomers, sir? A few of them are quite troublemakers, if I recall." Looking out of the window, MG5 spoke up out of concern of the sticky situation Kalina is in.

"She elected herself because she wanted some fresh air after holing herself indoor for two whole days. Beside, G36 is there so it shouldn't be a problem." Tiger replied while going through the list of newcomers one last time before the official briefing.

"Hahaha, the lass is a fine lady now, she can handle this much on her own." Thompson let out a chuckle as she also took a peek at the profile list in Tiger's hand.

"Now that we're on the topic of the newcomers, any particular reason you specifically picked out these girls, boss?" she asked.

"Of course. For starter…"

* * *

Hangar No 2.

"Woah! Get a load of this bad boy! Not even HQ has something like this just laying around!" exclaimed a T-Doll with bright brown hair stylized with two small buns. A fur-trimmed camouflage jacket is worn over her black one-piece skirt and dangling around her neck is a silver-glinted dog tag. Seeing for the first time in her life the metallic beast that is the PzH2000, her eyes shone with excitement.

"_Kel-tec RFB, self-proclaimed Genius Gamer. Highly competitive be it in real life or in game. While others often think she's taking things too far, her competitiveness is backed up by her exceptional performance and a versatile skillset, including electronic warfare, a department that we're currently lacking. The only other Doll we have that is well-versed in this field is G36C."_

"'New base, getting friendly with brand new tech!', and…send!Kyahahaha! The Anonymous Message Board is going to lose their head over this!" taking a picture of the PzH2000 with a flip phone, even from before the war the sight of such thing is even rarer an occurrence than actually winning the lottery, the T-Doll with white hair tied into a side-ponytail and a peculiar purple streak then posted it onto some sort of general message board while laughing amusedly to herself.

Her attire is rather elaborate looking, if not outright unnecessarily complicated, to say the least. A black jacket adorned with a linen strip of similar purple color to her hair, along with countless belts, snap-fit buckles that are attached with a myriad of gadgets.

"_Desert Tech MDR. Just like RFB, she's an outstanding fighter while also an expert in electronic warfare. What's more, her skill in said field covers both cybernetic and physical interface, the latter while completely outdated can still serve their purpose well enough to the point they're still widely used by guerillas and often time, Sangvis."_

"_If I may be so frank, sir, you must not trust everything that comes out of that girl's mouth. She's a regular of the G&K Anonymous Message Board where gossips and rumors from every G&K branch can be found. But at the end of the day, they're nothing but gossips and rumors and their credibility isn't exactly the best."_

"_I'll keep that in mind. However, we must remember that 'you can't have smoke without a fire'. Rumors and gossips they may be, more often than not they may not be entirely baseless. In order for rumors and gossips to take form, there must be an inkling of truth within them, and to identify that inkling of truth, a regular like her is just what we need."_

"Hey hey, sister! How about this pose? It'd make for a good commemorative photo!" a third voice then joined in on the conversation. The duo then looked up to see a Doll with platinum brown hair stylized similar to that of a raccoon ears, and two other completely identical versions of her just climbing on top of the vehicle.

Just like MDR, her attire was rather elaborate-looking, a large if not oversized black jacket worn over a white one-piece skirt, adorned with dozens of snap-fit buckles and ammunition pouch. And there was even a gas-mask just dangling at her waist.

"_FN P90. Part of IOP's new project which aims to push the technology further and create the next generation of control core that helps to significantly increase T-Doll's survivability on the field, or so advertised by Persica. For P90, she's equipped with hologram control core that, as the name suggested, can project up to two holograms identical to herself that can also be controlled remotely."_

"_Hoh, they may be problem children sure, you can't deny they come packing with some real talent and cool new toys. The lady sure is working hard."_

As the Doll trio continued to fool around with the PzH2000, seemingly forgetting about the reason why they are here in the first place, they failed to notice a shadow looming behind them.

"Ladies, the briefing is about to start soon, so I must ask you all to return to your post." The first victim was the white haired T-Doll, MDR. As she turned around to see who the owner of the voice was, she was instantly knocked out by a karate chop to the back of the neck by G36.

"Gebuuh-" that strange sound was all she managed to let out before losing her consciousness and fell into G36's arm. Letting her lay down on the ground, G36 then turned her head and glared at RFB and P90.

"And I must warn you, I am allowed to use force if the situation required."

"Heh, don't think because we carry gun and we will be at a disadvantage in hand-to-hand combat. I played Doll Souls, you know. Could've gone pro if I hadn't joined G&K-" in the time it took RFB to swing her gun onto her back and going into a fighting stance, whilst going on and on about her achievements as a gamer, G36 had already closed the distance between them and with a leg sweep, knocked her down flat on her bottom.

"How can you break my posture with just a single strike?! How come the difficulty is so high this early game?!" RFB continued to call foul on G36 until she was knocked out with a chop to the neck just like with MDR. That leaves only P90. Seeing just how easily her two companions got knocked out in less than 3 minutes, P90 immediately deactivated her two holograms and raised both hands up to surrender.

"I give!" she said with a straight face, showing sign of shame for submitting to her opponent even if it was the logical choice given the difference in their strength. And only then did G36 ease up that expression full of malice of her.

"It's good that I am able to come through. We haven't much time left, so please come down here and help me carry these two."

"Yes, ma'am." Completely submitted to G36, P90 then climbed down from the PzH2000 and walked over to pick up MDR who was still out cold on the ground. Seeing the G36 returned with the missing members of the group, Kalina finally heaved a sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness that you're here with me, Ms G36. Well then everyone, sorry for the interruption but at last we're good to go! Once again, welcome to Base 794! Now let us go and meet with your new commanding officer!"

"Hahaha, the new girls this time around sure is brimming with potential while also full of personality, aren't they? So, how do you want us to handle them boss?" letting out another chuckle, Thompson then asked Tiger as he placed the profile list back down on the table.

"I will leave the method for you two to decide as you see fit. But if I was to give an advice, it'd be rather than trying to whip them into shape, you make full use of their strength then let them have some freedom every now and then. Either way, you two are going to have your hands full starting today. Are you sure you're up to the task?"

"Of course, sir. You can have complete trust in us."

"Heh, would you have appointed us if we weren't, boss?"

"Well, I'll give you that." Tiger responded just as the door was pushed opened and Kalina, G36 along with the group of 12 new T-Dolls then entered and formed two lines before Tiger before giving their salute. Luckily MDR and RFB also managed to wake up in time.

"Greeting to you, Commander! Thank you for having us here today!"

"At ease and welcome, ladies. As you all have already know, from today onward you will be working here at G&K Frontline Base 794. However, the Commander is currently away on a mission right now so I'll be handling the reception. And the Commander here is also a T-Doll, just a heads-up so don't be too surprised when you actually meet her." Hearing that, the Dolls immediately raised an eyebrow. While they are aware that some elite T-Dolls are equipped command module or is granted command authority in order to lead their own team more effectively, this is the first time they've heard of a human serving a T-Doll commander.

'To follow and carry out the human's order and directive', such is the reason they were created and the core programming of their AI. As civilian model, they carry out tasks given by their employer, even after joining G&K and being etched with a weapon, that core programming still has not changed. So upon hearing that they will be fighting and serving yet another T-Doll alongside with a human, all of them were quite taken aback. Standing next to Tiger, both MG5 and Thompson held back their chuckle as they too were the same not too long ago.

"Let's continue. I am Tiger and the Adjutant here, but you may address me as you see fit, no need to weight much on formality. The Commander and our Combat Advisor who you will be meeting very soon aside, Kalina whom you are already acquainted with is the Logistic Officer, MG5 and Thompson, our two Assistants here made up the Chain of Command. Seek one of us out whenever you have something to report."

"Now, to act as the icebreaker with your new comrades, we have arranged a training simulation and I'd like for you all to take part in. So without dawdling around any longer, let us move to the Simulator Room."

* * *

From the Reception room which is on the west wing of the main building, the group followed after Tiger as they cut through the inner courtyard to reach the training ground where both the firing range and the simulator rooms are located. Simulator Room No.1, as the large metal door automatically opened upon their arrival, the newcomer Dolls could already see yet another large group of Dolls forming into two neat lines before the who they assumed to be their Combat Advisor.

"Chief." As Eagle turned around, Tiger then signaled him with a nod as he switched on the monitor screen displaying information about the training scenario. A map was then brought up, switching from the default satellite view to a bird's eyes view, and the Dolls could see that the training ground this time encompassed a rather large area.

Encompassing an area of 30km in diameter, the training ground is made up of mostly urban environment in a desert climate, with a large military base positioned in the very center. The terrain is a mix of flat open field with nothing but sand and some rocky terrain in-between.

"The rules are simple. Two teams will compete with each other to see which team can take over the military base first. However, your opponent won't be just the other team but also the Sangvis force occupying the area."

"The only landing zones available to you are on the very edge of the urban area, but you may choose whichever one you think can grant you the biggest head start. From there, the next course of action is your team to decide."

"You may make a beeline for the base, engage in guerilla warfare with the Sangvis force or you can also go straight for the kill on the other team. Just keep in mind, eliminating the other team does not count as winning, only by capturing the base."

"Once the base has been captured, you must hold your ground for 5 minutes until reinforcement arrive and in that mean time, the Sangvis will be throwing everything at you in order to prevent that so just be prepared."

"MG5."

"Sir!"

"You will be leading Team A, our team."

"Yes sir!"

"Thompson, you take Team B, the newcomers."

"Affirmative, boss."

"Alright, ladies. I expect a performance like no others from you all."

"Sir, yes sir!"

* * *

Meanwhile, in a Sector recaptured from Sangvis force.

"M4, over here!" rummaging through a pile of rubble, AR-15 then called out to M4 as she along with SOP-II and M16 quickly ran over to her.

"It's another one of these." In AR-15's hand, the four of them were staring at what seems to be a voice recorder and of a model that is no longer used anywhere, yet another relic from before the war. If it wasn't for the fact that this is already the third one that they have found, the four of them would have spent a good 10 minutes or so trying to figure out how this thing even work.

"'They…are…in the skies…'" end of recording.

"Yet another random and nonsensical verse. I can't believe this is what we're risking our lives for." AR-15 complained the moment the recording ended.

"Right now they may sound nonsensical, but there should be only one coordinate left and the moment we have all four recordings, we will start to get some answer." M4 said adamantly as AR-15 simply let out a long sigh and handed over the recorder to her.

"Now now, we haven't been running into any sizable Sangvis squadron since this entire Sector has been reclaimed by G&K, so it's not like we're actually at risk of being ambushed. While I'm not asking for another major operation like a few days ago, it sure is nice to go out and stretch your legs." M16 tried to defuse the situation but it only garnered her more scolding from M4.

"Sis, isn't it more because you wanted to get some fresh air to chase away your hungover?"

"Wha- I, I'm not sure what you're talking about-"

"Don't try to hide it. Last night you were completely wasted to the point that Mr Tiger had to carry you back to the dorm."

"Well, that's because Springfield was serving some good boozes at the bar yesterday, and since I heard Adjutant can hold his drink pretty well so I just have to try! Real talk though, how can he drink that much and not get even a little tipsy?"

"Big sis!" M4 yelled at her and to add even more onto the flame, AR-15 continued.

"On this, I agree with M4. When Adjutant brought you back, you reek of alcohol so much I almost suffocate. Either you cut down on the amount or next time you're sleeping in the hallway."

"Et tu, AR-15?!" the duo continued to pressure M16 with their scolding and remarks, while SOP-II carried on with decoding the next coordinate for them. Just like the completely obsolete and outdated voice recorder, the code this time used a very primitive method of decoding that, ironically, the AR Team's cutting edge AI was unable to utilize. Only SOP-II after being taught the method by Kalina was able to decode them.

"Eh, this coordinate…isn't it the one where we fought with Agent?"

* * *

Training scenario: Desert Siege.

Main objective: take over the military base by claiming control of Control Point Sigma located within the base and hold ground for five minutes until reinforcement arrive to achieve victory.

Control Point Sigma will be claimed automatically by the first team to reach it. If both teams are within range of the control point, the point will be contested until one team is either completely eliminated or forced out of range. Once the point is claimed, wave after wave of Sangvis force will swarm the base to reclaim it. To prepare against the siege, one minute of preparation which is not counted toward the five minutes defense will be given.

Resupply points: consisted of minor and major supply point, scattered all over the urban area and within the military base. Minor supply points can only be used to resupply, whereas major supply can be used for repair and acquire additional Dummy Link, max of three Dummies for each point. All minor points are neutral while all major points are occupied by Sangvis, eliminate them to claim control.

Control points: few in number, function varies from point to point and can only be found around and within the military base. Once captured, the control terminal within can be used to either activate the defense system of the area under said point's influence. All control points are occupied by Sangvis force, however they cannot use the control terminal within.

* * *

Team composition:

Team A:

Team leader: MG5.

Team member: Ingram, Skorpion, PPSh-41, SPAS-12, StG44, G36, P7, Springfield, WA2000, Mosin-Nagant, MG3, MG4.

Team B:

Team Leader: Thompson.

Team member: P90, Vector, AA-12, SAT-8, M590, RFB, MDR, M950A, Welrod, DSR-50, SVD, PKP.

* * *

It has been nearly an hour since the simulation began. At this point most of the Sangvis force on the outer part of the urban area had been eliminated and both teams have all moved toward the inner sectors where most of the control points are located.

As of current, both teams are engaged in combat, either with each other or with the Sangvis, or both, with the most intense battle of all being a three-way war between both team and a Sangvis battalion of 500 strong. Even with a stark difference in numbers and firepower, both team leaders are playing their card extremely well that there are still no apparent victor and the result could still go either way for any of them.

North-north-east of military base, Point Eta.

"Hahaha, where do you think you're shooting!" facing against P90, Ingram was being let around by the nose because of the former's hologram clones.

"Grrh, how about all three of you just stay still for me to shoot!" Ingram yelled out her frustration and emptied an entire clip on P90 as every single bullet simply phased through her. She then twisted her body and threw one of her knife at the second P90 approaching from her right, but it turns out to be also another hologram.

"They say third time's the charm, but I guess it's not yours then." From above, P90 rained a barrage down on her, and only after taking a few more injuries to herself did Ingram manage to jump out of the way and ran into one of the house.

"Ah, wait up! Play with me a little, just a little more!" reactivating her hologram clones, P90 then ran after Ingram and when she arrived at the exact house, the interior was completely filled with smoke.

"So it's a game of hide-n-seek now?" P90 quickly put on her gas mask and sent in her two holograms first. With this much smoke, visibility will be poor which works even better in her favor for they make her holograms even harder to discern. What she didn't know was that, what her opponent was counting, and will also be her downfall, is her holograms rather than poor visibility.

"Eh?" when P90 was about to enter the back room, she felt her leg tripped over something like a wire, and when she looked down, the pin of an incendiary grenade then dropped on the floor with a crisp metallic sound. In the next moment, the entire house was engulfed in flame.

"Aw man…couldn't dodge enough…But how am I supposed to dodge fire anyway!" thanks to her quick reflex, P90 managed to escape the building in time while suffering a mild burn to her left arm and her jacket. It was a rare moment where P90 let her guard down and her clones aren't there, so from inside the still burning house, Ingram leapt out from the window and along with Skorpion on the roof, the two released a combined barrage on P90.

"Got you now, you raccoon!" Ingram was sure that with this, no matter how good she's at dodging, there's no way P90 can come out of this attack unscathed. And it was then, all of the sudden their bullets started bouncing in every random direction. One of them even bounced back and hit Skorpion right in her bad eye.

"Arrggh! My eye!"

"Kyahaha, you're in quite a tight spot, sister!" from behind the wall, MDR walked out and fire a burst at Ingram, forcing her to fall back.

"Woah! Thanks for the timely save, sister!"

"Tch, reinforcement, huh?" Ingram clicked her tongue. Surrounding P90 right now is a semi-transparent blue force barrier, the reason why all their bullets got reflected, and from afar she could see the same blue light was being emitted from MDR's phone. So unless they take MDR out, they won't be touching P90 anytime soon, which immediately prove it's going to be quite a difficult task as the moment the latter reactivated her clones, the barrier also spread to them.

"Ah, but first, a commemorative photo for my heroic action." Saying that, she switched her phone to camera mode and in and instant, the force barrier protecting P90 immediately disappeared.

"Ah." Both P90 and Ingram let out a surprised cry, which then shifted into a worried and a devilish smile respectively as they once again threw themselves into battle.

Meanwhile, Skorpion who was rolling around on the roof due to the pain of the bounced bullet finally calmed down. And when she looked up, the first thing she saw was an incendiary grenade dropping down from the sky and straight at her.

"Shi-" before she could even utter the entire word, her body had already rolled out of the way just in the nick of time as the spot she was just now was charred black.

"It actually missed you. Ah, but I guess it doesn't really matter." A very nonchalant, if not uncaring voice rung by her ears. When she turned around to look, a muzzle was already pointed at her head. The one whom she was fighting against just minutes ago when Ingram bailed her out, a T-Doll with short silver hair.

Named after the weapon she's partnered with, one with a peculiar history, Vector stared at Skorpion with listless eyes, but in response to that, she showed a wide grin.

"Heh, then do you know why your grenade missed?"

"Not really. They acted as a good distraction so it's fine even if they missed, I guess."

"Don't be like that now. As your senior here, just let me enlighten you on some tips, yeah?"

"It's fine, I don't care, really-"

"The reason why you missed even at such distance, it's not because of your miscalculation or anything. The reason is because…"

"Like I said, I don't care-"

"You're too by the book. This is how you make sure they don't miss!" Skorpion threw two of her grenades straight up into the air then dodged under Vector's barrel with a forward lunge. Being caught by surprise, Vector's reaction was slower as she turned around to fire at Skorpion, only to see the latter aiming her gun and fired into the air. Then she remembered the two grenades that she threw earlier and quickly dodged out of the way but the spread radius was too large that she still got caught within it.

"This…really is annoying." She grunted.

As all these events unfolded, MDR was still playing around with her phone, trying to think up a good headline for her post on the anonymous forum.

"'Cool-headed but also audacious, an elite T-Doll in the making!', yeah, that'd make for a good headline! Now…send-" as MDR was about to hit send on the keypad, out of nowhere a sniper bullet bounced off the wall and pierced cleanly through the screen of her phone as the circuits and wirings inside started spilling out.

"NOOOOOOOOOO!" MDR collapsed on her knees in despair. Even though this is only a simulation, losing her phone delivered quite a blow to her DigiMind that she felt the pain even physically.

As the battle on the ground slowly reached its climax, so did the one up high. Jumping from one rooftop to another, an intense and high speed battle, something that is rather uncharacteristic of sniper rifle, between Russia's first and most widely used marksman rifle of modern warfare, against she who carries the legacy of the White Death.

Firing three consecutive shots, SVD then have her Dummy keep up the pressure and after relocating herself, the two then switched out with the former keeping up the attack while the latter relocate. A simple yet effective strategy.

Being pressured by such nonstop onslaught, Mosin-Nagant was constantly moving around while making the best use out of the terrain around her to avoid the incoming bullets. However, even when the opponent has a Dummy on her side, with her weapon being a modern semi-automatic rifle boasting much higher fire rate than her aged bolt-action one, not a single bullet had been able to hit her, not even a close hit.

"Wohoo, it's been a while since I've have such an intense battle like this! While I'd like for it to go on a little longer," the moment she landed back down on the rooftop, SVD then switched up and let her Dummy relocate. It was a very small window where the two of them let up on the onslaught, but Mosin-Nagant had immediately took that chance and with quick flick, scored a headshot square in the Dummy's forehead.

"Regretfully I'll have this fight end now!"

"Hahahaha, I expect no less from one who bears his mantle! But don't think I'm going to let victory slip away that easily!"

* * *

Northern courtyard of military base, Point Xi.

As roar of gunfire reverberated in the atmosphere, the three-way war between the two team and the Sangvis battalion which has been in a deadlock for a while now was finally seeing some new developments.

With the Guards forming a Phalanx formation in front while the Jaguar continued to hammer down on them with long range mortar fires, it is proving rather difficult for them to break through, especiall the kill to ammo consumption ratio is slowly whittling down on the remaining supply.

"Walther, Springfield! Get to the third floor, use the control point there to take them out! SPAS-12, cover them! MG3, MG4, suppressing fire!"

"Roger!" on MG5's order, she along with the other two and all of their Dummies started to unleash total hell on everything in front of them, and using that chance SPAS-12, WA2000 and Springfield then bolted toward the closest flight of stairs to get to the next levels.

Kicking down the door, SPAS-12 then barged into the room. There, three Jaegers were currently mounted up at the window and upon seeing her, they immediately turned their gun on her. Bringing up her shield, SPAS-12 took out the two further back with one shot each, then proceeded to send the last one flying with a bash of her shield.

"Clear!" after making sure that all three of them are down for the count, she called for the other two to come in. WA2000 then got onto the control terminal and activated the defense system. The moment the attack command was entered, all the machinery of the sector they're in immediately came to life.

With the radar coming back online, the anti-air cannon emplacements on the outer wall then perched up as they quickly identified the Sangvis as hostile and open fired. From one of the underground hangar, a platform was raised above ground, transporting two squadrons of Aegis which then joined the fray. WA2000 then opened up all the shutter doors in the area, granting access to the up till now locked supply points.

"WA, over there!" hearing Springfield's shout, WA looked to the direction where she was pointing and saw a small unit of Team B heading toward the central nexus.

"MG5, one of Team B's groups is heading toward the central nexus, presumably where Control Point Sigma is. We're pursuing them now!"

"Hold on, Walther, wait for reinforcement!"

"There's no time! If they claim the point first, we will have them and even more Sangvis to deal with!" disregarding her superior's order, WA along with Springfield and SPAS-12 then gave chase after Team B's group. They ran up one level then headed for the hall way connecting their section to the central nexus, taking out any Sangvis along the way. A while later, the entrance to the nexus was finally in sight.

But they got through the door, instead of immediately claiming the control point, it was an ambush that was lying in wait for them.

"Nuh!" just barely dodging the incoming bullet by the skin of their teeth, WA and Springfield then quickly ducked down behind the furniture for cover. Across from them, DSR-50 was mounting up on one of the supply crate. Despite missing her shot, she licked her lips seductively and chambered the next bullet.

Hiding behind cover, Springfield signaled for WA and SPAS-12 to flank her from both sides with a hand gesture. The two nodded and split up. To the right on WA's side, as she was carefully avoiding line of sight with DSR while moving from cover to cover, from the side came two bullets, one hit her in the shoulder whereas the second one only grazed by her thigh. Seeing their trajectory, she could easily tell where the shots came from, but she did not hear even a single gunfire.

Then as she rolled to the next cover to reassess the situation, from the opposite direction a shadow came lunging at her with a kick.

"Nuh!" immediately rolled out of the way, WA then transitioned into a backflip to gain some distance and aimed her gun at the assailant, but all she caught was only a glimpse of their blonde hair and two pistols pointed straight at her before receiving yet another kick which she blocked with the stock of her gun.

Still being aware of those guns which sound she cannot hear, this time WA opted to recollect herself thus using the force of the kick, she pushed herself back away.

The opponent before her possessed short blonde hair, tied in twintails and a sharp glare. Her attire is rather simplistic, even by T-Doll's standards, grey shirt with both sleeves rolled up past her elbows is worn under black striped waistcoat, black pleated skirt and a jacket draped over her shoulders.

Without saying a single word, the T-Doll before her then spun her two guns and held them in a fashion similar to how one would wield a pair of tonfas before going into her fighting stance. Feeling a little bit irked by this girl's attitude, WA then stood up and returned that sharp glare with one of her own.

"Rather roundabout way to challenge me to a fight, don't you think? Hah, that's fine then. Gunfight or hand to hand, as the perfect weapon of the perfect hitman, I'll still defeat you! For that's the sole reason I was created, not because a certain someone said that to me or anything!"

Shouting a bunch of nonsensical something, WA then engaged in combat with the T-Doll before her.

* * *

Northern courtyard.

After WA2000 activated the defense system, the remaining Sangvis troops were a piece of cake to take care of. Once their supply has been replenished, MG5 then have the team spread out to storm the central nexus from all directions and was currently confronting the final hurdle, Team B.

With the rest of the team keeping the opposing force occupied, MG5 then headed upstair to where Control Point Sigma would be.

"Sorry but, from this point onward is a restrict area so this is where you three will be stopping." Half way up the flight of stair, standing between them and the way forward was Thompson.

The two stared intently at the other, not averting their gaze for even a brief second. Despite all the gunfire and explosions happening around them, the atmosphere around them was completely still and calm, but that too was also short-lived the moment the trigger was pulled.

"Hahaha, quite a spectacular show you've put up, ain't it!" running up along the stair, Thompson emptied her magazine at MG5 while laughing heartily.

"The same could be said to you! For being given an entire group of newcomers, your commanding skill and leadership is truly commendable!" MG5 replied with a compliment and a barrage of gunfire of her own. Reaching the next level, the two then backed away with the muzzle of their gun still trained on the other.

"Well, knowing that I'll be working with someone of your caliber really put me at ease. So from today on, please take care of me."

"Hahah, like wise here, really looking forward to working with you. Now,"

"It's high time we end this!"

About 20 minutes later, the simulation finally concluded, with the victory of Team A. In the end, WA2000's group managed to claim Control Point Sigma, which triggered the Sangvis assault waves. For the climax, it was a constant flip between both teams working together to repel the waves of Sangvis troops and them fighting each other the moment the previous threat was taken care of.

For every battle, there must always be the victor and the fallen, but thanks to this battle, new bonds were forged while old bonds were strengthened. In the end, both newcomers and old comrades left the simulation chamber while chatting merrily with each other.

Then the AR Team returned, bearing ill omen with the data they have collected. Only, no one actually expected such ill omen is for the very near future.


End file.
